Tuesday 18 March 2008

The Grand Vision- The Utopia I Dream Of



The series on human history will recommence shortly.

But first, I thought I'd run by you, the vision of the future I dream of seeing raised on the ashes of the present order.

The brave new world I spend the bulk of my waking hours basking in the beauty of.
My hopes and my dreams.
What I live for.

To hope that somehow, something you do in your life will contribute in some way to the Utopia that IS there for the taking, that IS there for Man, the pinnacle of the universe, Man, God in the making.

Picture Planet Earth, 2100 AD, only known home to the organic process known as Life.

Transformed by an entirely new dynamic in chemical processes.
A strain of the Life process that could, in it's own right, control the laws of the universe itself, to its own benefit.
Standing on the first step of its own deification.

The United Nations consists of Eight States. The Security Council, are the eight members. The General assembly, is popularly elected by the Globe.
The UN control all military hardware.

The only nukes, are on the far side of the Moon, pointing outwards, to ward off comets and meteorites.
The Moon. Home of man's plans for the future. Where the Nuclear Powered Rockets depart from on their exploration of Earth's nearer neighbours.
And contemplates the setting up of vast energy mining, beyond man's wildest dreams. Using the outer planets as vast sources of nuclear fuel, to power the colonisation of Mars and Venus, a vast planned effort of human energy, knowledge, courage and triumph over it's solar system, the drive to rapidly form new homes for mankind.

The UN ultimately governs the economy. By which, I mean, it completely governs primary extraction and distribution of raw materials between the eight states. During an early period of global infrastructural inequalities, the balance was in favour of bringing the whole globe up to the same infrastructural capacity, but now, the balance is fairly equal. Each state pretty much gives as much at gets back, in terms of proportion to population.

There are eight states; Europe, Panamerica, Russia, Islam, Africa, India, China, and Pacifica.

A ninth state is in the process of being developed, by the combined will of the UN. Antarctica.

Each is a geocultural block.
National governments govern major security issues (Major crime, terror, etc). They also administer their states Space, Air and Seatravel fleets, the latter two used for resource transportation. They also administer all processing and production. Ultimately, they oversee the entire infrastructure of their parts of the globe.

All public offices are based on Continuous Election, a process I shall explain shortly. Political parties are banned. It is a true democracy. Evidence of pre-agreement between elected representatives is seen as corruption.

Continuous election, means there is no polling day. Since everyone has access to internet facilities, a continual list of candidates for office exists on line. Names can be added and subtracted any time.
Every day, should you wish, you can change your vote.

That way democracy remains fluid, and continuous. All Executives are continually dependent on not putting a foot wrong, because anyone of them can be sacked, just like that, by the people.

Local Regional bureaucracies govern regional infrastructures. Firstly,this is road transport (fully computerised). The satellites do the driving, linked to local computers. You just state your destination.
They also provide air travel, which now a standard form of public transport. Commuting Birmingham to Rome, isn't THAT odd, if you're top of your field.

They also control distribution of goods and materials out to the Communities- see later. Ultimately, responsibility for distribution of labour and community benefits and penalties, are under the regional infrastructure. Communities are automatically fed and housed, but must contribute as a community, a fixed labour quotient from its members to keep the general economy going. Surplus points are issued, on an individual basis, to community members who work hours over their quota. These points may be exchanged, for any other material produce of the species. Everything can be ordered online, and will be delivered by Regional Infrastructure, to the doors of the Community.

The Regional Bureaucracy are responsible for Education, Hospitals, Basic policing, imposition of penalties, etc.



The Bureaucracy consists of the entire graduate population, positions ultimately governed from within, by the process of continuous democracy outlined above.

Throughout the Region, Communities will exist, some forming vast cities and conurbations, some forming little towns, some alone, adorning the countryside.

Some of the countryside, will form huge national parks. Much of the rest, will be devoted to production of food.
Which will now be a highly industrialised biochemical process.
Agricultural countryside, will not be the green and pleasant land- that's what the vast national parks are far.

Picture mile after mile of greenhouse laboratories, beyond modern conceptions of genetically modified crops.
And GROWING Red meat.
Actually GROWING it. Replicating the entire chemical processes of a pig producing pork, in a protein vat that isn't alive, in a conscious sense.
It isn't substitute pork, it IS pork. Biologically identical.

Just not from a pig.

Pigs can be found in the National Parks.

Communities are usually about five hundred or so people.

Basically, they are Hotel/Villages.

They have communal catering, restaurant, leisure, bar, laundry, refuse collection, media and communication facilities.
And then everyone has their own little flat. Some- perhaps most, choose to share flats. And some have children.
But having children isn't a bind. The Community brings them all up, communally. You can have as much, or as little, contact with your child as suits you.

The non-graduate population, are the home workers of the world. They nurse the young, they feed, clothe, maintain the streets, oil the wheels, press the buttons, they RUN the system.

And each community, is itself an ACTUAL democracy. All decisions are made by democratic agreement of the entire adult population of the community.
There are Catholic Communities, Christian Communities, Muslim Communities, Hindu Communities, Hippie Communities.

Each is responsible for itself, but each must provide a useful labour contribution to get fed, each is responsible for the actions of its residents, and will be penalised in terms of points, for their crimes.

Within the community, it's up to the community how they live.

They can practice Monogamy, Polygamy, Free Love, however they choose. The community can decide who it wants to live there. So you have to fit in with someone. If no community wants to have you, you're in trouble.

Community ethics is at the heart of society. The whole ethos is to be part of community, to want to be a part of whatever your community is. A good community, sells its philosophy by the success of its community.
No religious wars. Religions promote themselves, by making communities that live their way, shine.
But I suspect most communities will be fairly liberal, agnostic places, where as long as you don't harm anyone and do your bit, fit in and be a valuable part of community, no one is going to judge you for what you do with your life.



The Daily labour quota allocated in all states, averages at four hours, per day, per adult. That's all it takes to keep the infrastructure running, keep everything running AS IT IS.

The rest, and this is why all the goods produced get distributed to those who give at this point, the rest is surplus value, the profit of which is, continuous improvement. This extra energy goes into Science, History, Art, Invention. The continuous pushing forward of the frontier.

And birth control? Use it, if you don't want children. But remember, they won't be a burden to you, so it's not a problem.

Humanity can GUARANTEE it will ALWAYS NOW be able to find homes and food for as many mouths as it can produce.

Because now it's going out there, to the stars.

That's the future I believe in.

And lastly, do you know what there won't be? No Mass Media. Just an internet. And bloggers. That's how news will spread. We'll get it all online. As in, ALL online.
Reporters, some. Professional ones, to announce major news. We'll all know their websites.
But no journalists. No Media public opinion formers.
Just bloggers.

So yes, we're doing it here, we're doing it now.
We're part of it.

It's worth living for.
It's worth fighting for.
It's worth dieing for.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Continuous election, means there is no polling day. Since everyone has access to internet facilities, a continual list of candidates for office exists on line. Names can be added and subtracted any time.
Every day, should you wish, you can change your vote.
Would this mean that that the elected would represent the electorate ;-)

Anonymous said...

But, Crushed, everyone WON'T have access to internet - not for a good many years,at any rate. I am reminded of Forster's story, "The Machine Stops" here. A lot of this has been tried before and guess what? It didn't work.

Anonymous said...

Cherrypie- The short answer, obviously, is yes.
I read a blogpost, when I get infrom work telling my that my elected representative voted in a way that makes me angrym, in the European legislature, I log on, move my vote AWAY from him, to a guy I know WOULDN'T have voted that way.

So your legislators make sure they know what their elecorate want, BEFORE they vote.


Welshcakes- I actually decided to answer this comment in full, before I turn in.

No. No it hasn't.

It's about state of technological devlopment. Mass voting couldn't be done in the middle ages, that's why they didn't have it.

What I describe, couldn't be done in 1917. That's why it failed.

Parallel. And I'd LOVE to see james of all people, argue this one.

Peter the Great.
The West, a mercantilist economy, with the seeds of capitalism already sown within it.
Russia. Classical socio-political model, with a few Western Medieval updates.

He changed that. and what he did, was just take on Western Infrastructural methods.

That's all it's about really. Infrasutructure.

We could do in Africa, what Peter the Great did in Russia. and look at the global problems we'd solve by doing so.

We don't, because globally, our methods of governing our infrastricture, have become, during the end of this cycle, a potentially harmful anachronism.

That's what's at stake.

Anonymous said...

I would like to see humanity invent a source of free and pollution free energy which would mean that all processes and travel became energy cost free. Travel anywhere for more or less nothing and make anything for free. Now that would make a big difference...

Anonymous said...

Interesting vision Crushed. Somehow I don't see the very different people who exist ever really cooperating to achieve such a society and I don't know that I would want to live in one such as this.
Most people need goals to strive for, problems to solve, it's what we are good at and this world you envision seems quite static and in need only of maintenance.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, but that sounds like hell on Earth to me.

Anonymous said...

Mutley- Nuclear power. For most thing, best way forward. If we can actually develop cold fusion, which theoretically, we should be able to, it's clean power.

jmb- I do, very much. This is my vision, this is what I want for my descendants.
Your second point, is interesting, because of how the actual prime benefit of this system, is that is MORE goal oriented, it is BETTER at directing goals.

Put in more than your four, you get PERSONAL points to acquire goods. Clothes, I would say music, but it'll be online, gadgetry, recreational drugs, the incentive to acquire pleasurable things, will always motivate people to sign up for extra.
The point is the demanded contribution, goes to keeping things over, the twenty hours compulsory labour contribution, per person, per week.

The extra, goes towards the goals of mankind, EXPANDING that infrastructure, acquiring fresh knowledge as a species, colonising space.
People will be VERY goal directed, because unlike now, every bit of human labour will be for a defined purpose, not just to get paid. it will have a use.

The first set of commonly agreed human goals would be;

1. Turning the Gas Giants (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune into vast power stations.

2. Terraforming Mars and Venus.

3. Attempts to find a way of propelling vehicles at the fastest known speed a solid object can be proved to able to move, viz, the planets. If Earth can move at 33,000 miles an hours, any solid body can.

That makes it theoretically possible to turn an asteroid into a vast travelling Ark.
Alpha Centauri, here comes Man.

The surplus labour and intellect of the human species, will be a vast problem solving structure.

David- Because it seems so strange. But it won't be.
It will distribute pleasure far more effectively, which is what it's all about. Human existence is about nerves and hormones, body chemicals.
This system will more pleasurable feeklings, and reduce human misery and suffering.

When I trot this vision out at parties, which I frequently do, I think what really shockes people is how clinical, how structured, and how it really does lash the individual into the community, but in a way which really does give the individual TOTAL freedom to pursue his/her route to happiness, this system is.
It's morality is based entitrly on the logic of satisfying our biologically programmed desires. All else is excised. It seems, at first to be soulless.

But no, it is logic, with sentiment removed from the human condition.

It is man, no longer an animal.

It is, yes, a world where, nature itself, is preserved, and that preservation, is itself an artifice.

Man will have one planet under his heal. But it won't end there.

Anonymous said...

"It's morality is based entitrly on the logic of satisfying our biologically programmed desires. All else is excised. It seems, at first to be soulless.
"

But this is achievable today. We can isolate and stimulate the pleasure sensing region of the human brain. To take your idea to the extreme, we should all be hooked up to pleasure inducing flip-switches, free to pleasure ourself at any time we please .. like Narcissus, we would soon wither away and die.

Life - and humanity - for me is much more than pure physical pleasure. You speak of love frequently ... sex and making love both give us the same physical pleasure ... but one is wholly different from the other.

Anonymous said...

For some, that may well be an option they's choose, but they'd have to put in their labour to earn the right to get that pleasure.
Basic equation of the system proposed. Put in, get back.

But for many of us, ambition, the desire to be part of something, to push our own bounaries would drive us.

Instead of chasing tokens, we'd chase the responsibilities.

I would have studied further thabn I did, for example, because I wouldn't have left Uni with just a BA, hoping to just make a quick buck. If I had the chance to take part in a project I could se would drive humanity forward, such as the ones I described in the previous comment, I would have done.

Instead of selling all day, partying, pubbing and blogging, I'd actually be doing something of worth.

Involving my mind in something positive, genuine problem solving.

I suspect, in the world I visualise, sex and love will have been completely separated.
As, I think, they should be.

Anonymous said...

"Instead of selling all day, partying, pubbing and blogging, I'd actually be doing something of worth.

Involving my mind in something positive, genuine problem solving."


I just can't see it happening. Two things would happen. Firstly, a hierarchy always develops, and where there's a hierarchy there is power, and where there is power there is authority and control.
History is just the story of the balance between the three classes: Aristocracy, Middle-class and the workers. The same model would develop in your new world... Look at Communist Russia and Capitalist America. Both have the same model today.

Secondly, society would develop into a slow-moving, bureaucracy - devoid of creativity, innovation and in the end - devoid of caring. What doesnt evolve, decays.

If your new world would look anything like the public sector we have today, I dont want to be part of it. Jobs for life, security .. but where's the passion. They get stuck in a rut, happy to stay at the level they are at, no relationship with their work.

Give me the threat of failure, the unknown and the freedom to create my own freedom anyday.

Anonymous said...

I am reminded of Forster's story, "The Machine Stops" here.

Now Welshcakes has reminded me it is rather similar. It is a short book and can be read on line in many places. Here is the wiki link, at the bottom there is a link to the story online:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Machine_Stops

If we can actually develop cold fusion, which theoretically, we should be able to, it's clean power.

I have a friend who keeps telling me how wonderful this is and how money should be spent to develop it!

Anonymous said...

David- but the classes here woukld be fluid, meritocratic classes. A non-graduate domestic class, a graduate educated Infrastructural class, a Doctorate standard Intelligentsia.

Function allocation, as opposed to systematic ossification. All are born the same, just processed towards their best potential position.

Of course we'd all strive to dominate. But we'd be dominated by those who SHOULD dominate. Not the school swots, who revised for History A level, whilst the REAL alpha males were getting stoned.

In this society, the class of authority Weber calls Acquired Authority, authority derived from designation, would be gone.

The only authority remaining, would be the natural leader, the charismatic leader, democratically selected by his colleagues to drive his area of responsibility forward.

We'd fight tooth and nail for that privelege.

THAT would drive us.

So yes, the true unknown. The true breeze of cold air on your face obn the savannah.

The daily struggle to PROVE to your fellow man, your right to lead.

Mate, it works. Trust me, I work in sales. I've seen people put in positions, and then those under them nakedly fight them day to day, in a battle of charisma, against appointed authority. I do it.
I spend most working days spending most of my time, not in actually working, but in power games with my own colleagues.

That's human existence.
We need to harness that properly.

Anonymous said...

Cherrypie- All Dystopias are inverted Utopias.
Compare Huxley's Island to Brave New World.
Same ideas, different slant. But He is the only author I know, to prsent both sides of the potential of both trends.

It's how we deal with the possibilities of technology.

We need to positively embrace it, not negatively surrender to it.

Anonymous said...

I agree there are always opposites to challenge our minds and we do need to be positive and choose!