Endless and mutually destructive escalation

Civil society values are subject to endless and mutually destructive escalation. 

Small towns are given to social pressures where townsfolk have to out-do each other in order to maintain prestige – the bar mitzvah has to be bigger, the wedding more lavish, the funeral more expensive – until some authority comes along and puts a stop to the 'arms race.' 

Here is another way in which authority is necessary for even the best value systems based solely on legitimacy to operate properly.