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For a successful nuclear reactor, it's not enough to have plutonium or U-235, isotopes that liberate energy and fast neutrons when they split. You need a moderator: material to slow down the neutrons, so they can trigger more fission events. A moderator (e.g., graphite or heavy water) isn't like a control rod that stops the chain reaction; rather, a moderator is carefully chosen not to absorb neutrons itself.
For a successful society, it's not enough to have brilliant geniuses, dynamic balls of fire who shoot off ideas in all directions. You need moderators: people to slow down the frenzied conversation, so that new concepts can be absorbed, mulled over, improved, and then used to trigger further good ideas. Moderators aren't nay-sayers who fight against novelty; rather, they must work carefully not to kill innovation, to see the feasible components in even the most flakey proposals.
Being a moderator isn't an easy job, particularly in times of creative ferment when new notions --- in science, technology, the arts, and commerce --- form an avalanche, jostling and prompting each other in an explosive chain reaction. But moderation is critical in all things, not least in turning wild ideas into reality.
(correlates: PyramidPeaking, AnAcknowledgement, MyJob, ...)