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People are hard-wired to form tribes and self segregate into groups. I don't think we're going to grow out of that behavior anytime in the next 1000 years. But

People are hard-wired to form tribes and self segregate into groups. I don't think we're going to grow out of that behavior anytime in the next 1000 years. But the author makes a leap from there to "nationalism is inevitable." There is an entire spectrum of organizational bodies and humans need not (and probably cannot) abolish all of them to form some sort of universal civilization. Surely there are ways we can retain regional cultural uniqueness and small group identities while gaining the ability to cooperate and share values?

deleted 6y ago
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sleepysysadmin 6y ago
>People are hard-wired to form tribes and self segregate into groups. I don't think we're going to grow out of that behavior anytime in the next 1000 years. Into classes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_conflict https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_conflict https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classless_society https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classless_society Marx and communism has everything do to with classes. That is to say in order for communism to work you must have a classless society. Soon as you have inequality based on anything, 2 classes form. Those with and those without. It comes down to even a surplus of production. We could theoretically have the same job but I work 40 hours/week and you work 20 hours/week. I will therefore be in a class higher than you. If I am not in a higher class, then I won't work those 40 hours and I'll go down to those 20 hours. OR I try to force you to work 40 hours. >There is an entire spectrum of organizational bodies and humans need not (and probably cannot) abolish all of them to form some sort of universal civilization. Surely there are ways we can retain regional cultural uniqueness and small group identities while gaining the ability to cooperate and share values? That adds a significant level of complexity.
- intrepidhero 6y ago
  I wasn't thinking about classes when I wrote the comment but I agree they are fundamental axis along which people divide themselves. I think class differences are an underappreciated source of conflict in our world today and there are inequities that we should be working hard to correct. That said, my point was we need not abolish all the many ways that people differentiate themselves in order to have (more) universal cooperation: involving mostly everyone and mostly everywhere, not necessarily on everything. And we need higher levels of cooperation to address the biggest challenges humanity faces. > That adds a significant level of complexity. Any system that aspires to unify a wide swath of humanity with all it's diversity and frailties will be tautologically complex.

deleted 6y ago

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sleepysysadmin 6y ago

>People are hard-wired to form tribes and self segregate into groups. I don't think we're going to grow out of that behavior anytime in the next 1000 years. Into classes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_conflict https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_conflict https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classless_society https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classless_society Marx and communism has everything do to with classes. That is to say in order for communism to work you must have a classless society. Soon as you have inequality based on anything, 2 classes form. Those with and those without. It comes down to even a surplus of production. We could theoretically have the same job but I work 40 hours/week and you work 20 hours/week. I will therefore be in a class higher than you. If I am not in a higher class, then I won't work those 40 hours and I'll go down to those 20 hours. OR I try to force you to work 40 hours. >There is an entire spectrum of organizational bodies and humans need not (and probably cannot) abolish all of them to form some sort of universal civilization. Surely there are ways we can retain regional cultural uniqueness and small group identities while gaining the ability to cooperate and share values? That adds a significant level of complexity.

intrepidhero 6y ago
I wasn't thinking about classes when I wrote the comment but I agree they are fundamental axis along which people divide themselves. I think class differences are an underappreciated source of conflict in our world today and there are inequities that we should be working hard to correct. That said, my point was we need not abolish all the many ways that people differentiate themselves in order to have (more) universal cooperation: involving mostly everyone and mostly everywhere, not necessarily on everything. And we need higher levels of cooperation to address the biggest challenges humanity faces. > That adds a significant level of complexity. Any system that aspires to unify a wide swath of humanity with all it's diversity and frailties will be tautologically complex.