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Ask HN: Devise a Civilizational Model
I was thinking about the latest human folly and in an uber objective mode of not trying to paint one or the other as 'evil incarnate' happened on the conclusion that the core issue is fundamentally that of a deficient working model for civilization (as a unit) and composition of these units into a larger harmonious whole. That doesn't predictably periodically descends into warfare.
The basic idea that drove policy in the last century (and this century was supposed to be the proof of the idea) was that (a) civilization units have core, not necessarily physical, centers; and (b) trade between these units is how they compose to higher harmonious forms.
So, there are 2 fronts to innovate here. One is the unit model. Is it possible for example to have a stripped down version of what constitutes a civilization (think micro kernel) and then have global level integration? What are the components of the stripped core model? Can there be symbiotic types? Binary or higher order partial civilizations that collectively become one? I think possibly historic Europe qualifies for that with its mix of Latin, German, etc. that naturally fall under an umbrella of European. These forms seem to require one unifying shared element, here the Church.
The second front is how these units compose. Warfare, trade, cultural exchange. Also population exchanges are a historic specimen of inter-unit interactions. So Q here is, given that the 20th century emphasis on 'trade' as the singular most important dimension is now shown to be false, and some units are resorting to 'warfare' to affect changes in global order, is there actually a solution to this problem short of supremacy of a victorious unit? If you take a moralist stance, you'll need to answer questions such as 'is it OK for liberal civilizations to interact with authoritarian ones?'.
As a kind of a third rail there is the fact that availability of certain technologies provide a sort of ground level constraint to any consideration since even disputes involving other 3rd parties can have very local detrimental effects.
So is there a compositional solution or are we destined to duke it out for a final round?
[p.s. things like 'ritualized warfare' for example are on the table.]
- kingkongjaffa 5y ago>20th century emphasis on 'trade' as the singular most important dimension is now >shown to be false, it is? Trade isn't fundamentally bad. What most people are upset with is the value system we have built which depends on the assumption that limitless growth is the goal.
- eternalban 5y agoI did not say it was bad. Simply put, we were assuming that entangling states' interests via trade (globalisation) would put the war monster in a box for good. That has not happened. So it appears that harmonious co-existence can not be based only on trade and economic interests.
- qubex 5y agoThis reminds me of three things: the foundational idea that humans are the “the animal that trades”, Mark Fisher’s concept of Capitalist Realism, and finally David Graeber’s observations regarding debt and his unpublished works regarding ‘play’ being the fundamental element of human satisfaction. The composition of all three strongly suggests to me that exchange is fundamental to the human condition (as it is fundamental to humans’ social capabilities) but that elevating trade to a position of preeminence is a dangerous decision indeed, one that (as an economist) I believe has been oversubscribed by a wide margin.