Daily Deliberation #2
Is one-world government possible?
posted by Anonymous at 5:06 AM
Friday, July 20, 2007
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10 Comments:
Theoretically I suppose so, but practically, very doubtful.
That's my opinion too. I think that human nature favors exclusive group identities, or us vs them thinking. But I think that increasingly these identities will take on more a symbolic cultural role and allow closer economic and legal integration between states.
I guess the more meaningful question is whether the world's nations will ever achieve a political arrangement that will make war obsolete.
War is already obsolete because the reasons for war no longer apply. Free trade and open communication bring prosperity, not enslaving people or stealing the king's treasure -- the current unpleasantness in pockets around the world, not withstanding.
Waging war is a barrier to trade. As this simple fact becomes evident among all the peoples of the world, we'll eventually come to some kind of an accommodation and agreement on the rules of civilized behavior, etc. I hope we'll retain lots of national and regional characteristics to make us interesting individuals and not just cogs in the machine.
Will the earth ever be a perfect paradise? No, but I'm optimistic for the future.
It might well depend on what you mean by "government". I wouldn't be surprised to see a world government that treats current nations the way the United States treated states before the Civil War, or even an Articles of Confederation style world government.
The UN is a one-world government. It's just rather ineffective.
If you mean that there would be only one government in the entire world (i.e. no local, state, or national governments) then, no.
Will war be obsolete? Not until humans have evolved into a different species. Crime will be obsolete then as well.
Bret,
I don't think human nature has to evolve for war to become obsolete. We are essentially the same genetically now than we were 2000 years ago, but we've become steadily less violent over that timeframe, even given the horrific human cost of war in the 20th century. I think erp nailed it, in that war doesn't pay anymore. Nations can no longer enrich themselves by war, only impoverish themselves.
Not evolve*, merely indulge in benign self interest.
*I hardly dare to type that word.
About half the people in the world haven't even organized halfway effective local governments, so I'd say the question in premature.
War isn't always fought over money, and money doesn't always trump every other consideration when people go to war.
In this respect, Clauswitz got it right when he pointed out that all coalitions fall apart when they approach success, because somebody will always figure he can do better by switching sides.
Game theorists have worked this out numerically, but Clauswitz had it all down in 1825. We haven't evolved since then.
If it were just a matter of money, then we'd get beyond war eventually. In my opinion, however, money is just one type of power and power is everything. I don't think money will ever be the sole type of power.
Prosperity isn't only about money. In fact, that's only a small part of it. From the Preamble to the Constitution ...establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, ...
I doubt human foibles will change and there'll always be crime and violence, it just won't be state sponsored. We, the people, won't tolerate it anymore.
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