Type I civilization. Will we make it?
 

Interesting article from Shermer on the future prospects of the human race. Maybe I am just a pessimist , but I don't get the feeling that type I is in our immediate future, if ever. I seem to find myself buying more guns and stocking up on more ammunition these days. Tribalism seems to always rule. Must be an evolutionary legacy.

"The forces at work that could prevent us from making the great leap forward to a Type 1 civilization are primarily political and economic. The resistance by nondemocratic states to turning power over to the people is considerable, especially in theocracies whose leaders would prefer we all revert to Type 0.4 chiefdoms. The opposition toward a global economy is substantial, even in the industrialized West, where economic tribalism still dominates the thinking of most politicians, intellectuals and citizens."


"Type 0.4: Chiefdoms consisting of a coalition of tribes into a single hierarchical political unit with a dominant leader at the top, and with the beginnings of significant economic inequalities and a division of labor in which lower-class members produce food and other products consumed by non-producing upper-class members."

"Type 1.0: Globalism that includes worldwide wireless Internet access, with all knowledge digitized and available to everyone. A completely global economy with free markets in which anyone can trade with anyone else without interference from states or governments. A planet where all states are democracies in which everyone has the franchise. "

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-shermer22-2008jul22,0,5301697.story

Historically, man has created a utopian world as the future. In almost every case that I can think of, it involves free and complete education, enough work to keep people from getting bored, complete health for all, readily available and free hobbies, the advancement of the arts to a high form, and a clean and unsullied connection between the people and the government, what is left of it. Energy, food, shelter are all abundant and available for everyone.


It seems that this writer is calling that a Type 1.0.

I don't see a type 1 as being possible. It sounds nice, but I don't think that human nature will allow it.

Bogey: "A man takes a drop too much once in a while, it's only human nature."

Hepburn: "Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above."

I am not inclined to settle. Principle trumps practicality. Though humans may never achieve this level of maturity, I will continue to reach, and hope, for that goal. It's funny, I think, that Christ laid out a template for how we can create our own Heaven right here on Earth, while we are waiting........and it is the hippies who best put it into practice. BTW, it works. It works like a charm.

There will always be greedy evil people, that's just human nature. It's all a balance, the Yin and the Yang. Furthermore, how will you define love without hate, peace without war or rich without poor. You have to have one to have the other in my opinion. All other beings in nature survive in this reality.

Humans will have to get along at the lowest possible level in order for humanity to achieve this Utopia, and we dont' have a very good track record. We weren't programmed that way and if the next step is to evolve our very nature, I don't see how that will happen.

With a little help from Aubrey de Grey and a few good breaks, I'm looking forward to a Type III. :)

Christ apparently never envisioned a world w/ Catholicism and other forms of ignorance causing people to multiply like rabbits when they don't have clean water or an economic system in place to be self-sustaining, while also destroying the environment that supports our life form and decimating natural resources. The result is a massively f'ed-up world w/ 6 billion people in it and a dwindling supply of energy and clean water. But don't worry, there will be 9 billion geniuses by the year 2050. I'm sure glad that I'll be dead. :cool:

Everyone tends to forget we are animals. No matter how civilized we like to think we are, we are animals. Animals survive by virtue of their strength over other animals, particularly their own species. It's just not in the cards or any living being on this planet to live a Type I-type lifestyle.

Yes, I know we are animals. Yes, I know we are selfish. Yes, I know we are capable of horrendous abominations. But I also know what else we are capable of. One of those things is critical thought. And communication. And cooperation.

No.......I'm not ready to throw my hands in the air and dismiss my dreams for humankind on the basis that we're unreliable or selfish. I will continue to aspire. I believe it is possible.

Existentialism is the theory that our existence preceeds our essense, rather than the common believe that it works the other way around. The classic example is the guy who says "I wouldn't do that, because it's not ME." It might be more accurate to say "That's not me because I wouldn't do that." If you did that, it would be you. Our choices are always free, regardless of the excuses we use based on our "essence."

Do animals dream of utopia? Have the done so almost as long as they have existed?

Man has. We are not animals, we are Man. WE dream, and have dreams, and are the single most powerful force in existence. Utopia, Type 1.0 world, is in our DNA, we strive for it and always have, we yearn for it.

It'll happen. Possible AFTER a great war or environmental disaster (as speeder mentioned, we might be a bit full to succeed at it right now).

Sure. Mostly it's about bacon.

Maybe?

A totally unprovable statement.

Speak for yourself, i do not really think it wise to pursue unobtainable fantasy.

Such a condition would create anarchy and yet more war, not kum-by-yah utopia.

Well, animals also band together in social groups to accomplish various objectives. Not just primates either. Social groups are found in various insects, fish, elephants, wolves, even African Lions.

The objective is not always killing other animals either, sometimes it is killing plants.

Then there are mutualistic interactions - different species are involved and both benefit from the interaction.


However, I do not see an end to war or violence among humans.

or fascism - another possibility....

Yes, possibly.

Utopia is a fools dream.