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From: cliff@unmvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: GOALS - Planning for a future
Message-ID: <656@unmvax.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 9-Feb-85 04:12:10 EST
Article-I.D.: unmvax.656
Posted: Sat Feb  9 04:12:10 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 11-Feb-85 05:11:34 EST
References: <8118@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Distribution: net
Organization: Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Lines: 66

> I posted a response (over on net.politics), in which I outlined the
> kind of world I want. To summarize that here, it is one with a small
> human population, supported by automated systems providing their
> material needs, allowing undisturbed natural environments, where
> a human may exist in isolation if he wants to, and do whatever he wants.
> This situation would exist on other terrestrial planets, and there would
> be a technology to allow space exploration and travel. I DON'T want a
> world with giant floating or land-based arcologies, crammed with millions 
> of people, or a world covered with highways and endless suburban housing,
> or a non-technological world of subsistence farming, etc.

I would like to see a more varied set of societies.  If a group can get an
arcology going with a decent society within, then I am for it, as long as
it doesn't prevent the society that prefers to exist in largely undisturbed
environment from doing so.  Variety is the spice of life.  I shudder at
the thought of a world covered with highways, but I wouldn't be upset with
the presense of highways in some areas.  I think space exploration and
colonization could really help different societies do as they see fit; the
real heretics could always take off and do their thing undisturbed.

> Post your concepts of specific forms we should be working toward.
> You want extended families? No families, with children produced
> in creches? Few people? Lots of people? High tech? No tech? Religious
> leaders overseeing happy multitudes? No religions at all? Etc...

My eventual goal, a multitude of dissimilar societies sharing the universe,
will probably not be attainable in my lifetime.  I would like to see a
meta-government, that would provide for a marketplace of governments, in
place before I am on my deathbed.  I have brought up the concept once before
under net.politics, maybe it is time to see if it can generate any discussion
on net.politics.theory:

The basic premise is a meta goverenment that allows national governments
under it.  The national governments have very few limitations under the
meta government, the ones that come immediately to mind are:

	National governments may not kill their citizens and
	People may emmigrate at anytime assuming another National
	Government is willing to accept them (this includes incarcerated
	criminals).

A national government would soon find it very counterproductive to incarcerate
its citizens for trivialities, for there would bound to be another national
government that would be willing to take its prisoners.  It would be
interesting to see how a socialist government would do compared to a
libertarian government.  I would start out under the libertarian government
but I would be willing to change my mind if it were obvious that the
socialist government had its act together ('though I am not holding my
breath).  Of course before I emigrated I would want to be sure that the
socialist country would be a member of the meta government for the rest of
my life...I wouldn't want to wake up one day and find out I could no longer
emigrate and that there was going to be a purge at 3:00pm the next day...


	--Cliff [Matthews]
	{purdue, cmcl2, ihnp4}!lanl!unmvax!cliff
	{csu-cs, pur-ee, convex, gatech, ucbvax}!unmvax!cliff
	4744 Trumbull S.E. - Albuquerque  NM  87108 - (505) 265-9143

Thanks to Will Martin for posting the original message...
I hope it generates more light than heat...

> Regards,
> Will Martin
> 
> USENET: seismo!brl-bmd!wmartin     or   ARPA/MILNET: wmartin@almsa-1.ARPA