12 Futuristic Forms of Government That Could One Day Rule the World

[herzmeister]

http://io9.com/12-futuristic-forms-of-government-that-could-one-day-ru-1589833046

12 Futuristic Forms of Government That Could One Day Rule the World



As history has repeatedly shown, political systems come and go. Given our rapid technological and social advances, it's a trend we can expect to continue. Here are 12 extraordinary — and even frightening — ways our governments could be run in the future.

1. Noocracy

Similar to Plato's "government of the wise," a noocracy would be, in the words of "biosphere" popularizer Vladimir Vernadsky, "a social and political system based on the priority of the human mind." [...]

2. Cyberocracy

In a cyberocracy, governments, or governmental institutions, would rule by the effective use of information. [...]

3. An AI Singleton

But once an artificial intelligence becomes sophisticated and powerful enough, it could set itself up as a Singleton — a hypothetical world order in which there is a single decision-making agency (or entity) at the highest level of control. [...]

4. Democratic World Government

We may very well be on our way to achieving the Star Trek-like vision of a global-scale liberal democracy — one capable of ending nuclear proliferation, ensuring global security, intervening to end genocide, defending human rights, and putting a stop to human-caused climate change. [...]

5. The Polystate

But if one overarching global system is not to your liking, you can always go non-local. [...]

6. Futarchy

[...] "Market speculators would set prices that estimate national welfare conditional on adopting proposed policies. When the market estimate of welfare conditional on adopting a policy is higher than the estimate conditional on non-adoption, that proposal becomes law."

7. Delegative Democracy

Also known as liquid democracy, it's described by Bryan Ford as a new paradigm for democratic organization where individual vote transfers, or delegation, is emphasized over mass election. In such a system, voting power is vested in delegates rather than representatives. [...]

8. Seasteading

For those of you looking to escape into international waters, there's always seasteading to consider — modular, autonomous, voluntary city-states. They could take on the form of abandoned ocean liners or anything else that floats. [...]

9. Gerontocracy

As people live increasingly longer, and as we gradually phase into the era of radical life extension, there's the distinct possibility that the aged will hold on to their wealth and power. [...]

10. Demarchy

Coined by Australian philosopher John Burnheim, a demarchy, or lottocracy, is a form of government in which the state is governed by randomly selected decision makers who have been selected from a pool of eligible citizens. [...]

11. A Dark Enlightenment

If a band of wingnut anarcho-capitalists get their way, we'll take one step forward by overthrowing liberal democracy — and then take two steps back by re-instating a monarchist or authoritarian system. The ringleader of this neoreactionary movement, or dark enlightenment as its called, is Mencius Moldbug. [...]

12. Post-Apocalyptic Hunter-Gatherers

Speaking of regression, there's also the possibility that some kind of catastrophic event will force us to revert to paleolithic politics. [...]

Which one would you prefer though?  

[1714992531]

1714992531

[1714992531]

1714992531

[1714992531]

1714992531

[1714992531]

1714992531

[ThomasCrowne]

Mencius Molebug is my vote.  #11 Dark Enlightenment

[commandrix]

The U.N. could be considered a crude sort of polystate. And we all know exactly how effective that is.

[Balthazar]

4. Democratic World Government

We may very well be on our way to achieving the Star Trek-like vision of a global-scale liberal democracy — one capable of ending nuclear proliferation, ensuring global security, intervening to end genocide, defending human rights, and putting a stop to human-caused climate change. [...]

Actually, if you've ever seen Past Tense Part I and Part II DS9 episodes, you'll understand that liberalism was crashed in the 21st century. Humanity in Star Trek series is presented by well developed socialist society. It has nothing in common with the so-called liberal democracy.

[JohnnyLightning]

13. Increased control and slavery through taxation and regulation.  IOW, more of the same.

[acs267]

I like number twelve more out of all of them, since I enjoy post-apocalyptic fiction. The other ones are 'meh', and more 'meh'.

[DeathProxy]

I think it could be Seasteading, because we all know that the Ice in Poles are melting. If all Ice in the poles melted the sea can rise up to 150 meter. Many cities will be under the sea. Thus people would be force to live in the sea and try to live cluster to help each other and sea seatheading states will be formed.

[herzmeister]

I think it could be Seasteading, because we all know that the Ice in Poles are melting. If all Ice in the poles melted the sea can rise up to 150 meter. Many cities will be under the sea. Thus people would be force to live in the sea and try to live cluster to help each other and sea seatheading states will be formed.

that would look more like a waterworld scenario i guess https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKFsmZhQWtg

[TaunSew]

4. Democratic World Government

We may very well be on our way to achieving the Star Trek-like vision of a global-scale liberal democracy — one capable of ending nuclear proliferation, ensuring global security, intervening to end genocide, defending human rights, and putting a stop to human-caused climate change. [...]

Actually, if you've ever seen Past Tense Part I and Part II DS9 episodes, you'll understand that liberalism was crashed in the 21st century. Humanity in Star Trek series is presented by well developed socialist society. It has nothing in common with the so-called liberal democracy.

That's the assumption on the face value but it was never that simple.  They still had mediums of exchange in the Federation.  There were several hints towards individuals who were incredibly wealthy.  For all the claims by Picard that humanity was no longer interested by money, there always was an unlimited supply of human mercenaries and traders looking to make credits. .     Then you had Bashir and Riker who were always gambling. . .  

As well, except for Miles O'Brien, it looked like most enlisted (not to be confused with officers) Starfleet servicemen lived in terrible conditions, I can't imagine the incentive for them to do that unless they were getting credits or some kind of benefit over the general populace back home.

Maybe poverty was eliminated in the Federation but I never saw anything about it being socialist - socialist would imply collectivization of capital and everything in Star Trek pointed to capital being owned by wealthy individuals or the military.

If you mean welfare socialist - I don't recall ever seeing welfare workers in Star Trek.. maybe Star Trek is a future assumption that technological innovation will bring about a technological minarchism solution to poverty.
 

[herzmeister]

Star Trek... big military operations, uniform fetish, no information about the living conditions of the average people... yup, that's fascism

[Ekaros]

Cyberocracy and Delegative Democracy would probably be my choises.

Gerontocracy is where we are going, apart from there being a few young people rising up there. And it's sad reality just how well some of the old do compared to rest...

[AnonyMint]

The Dark Enlightenment is not correctly summarized in the OP.

Go here for more information on the Dark Enlightenment:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=495527.0

In essence, it is the rise of anarchist cyberworld Knowledge Age, where government is irrelevant and impotent and the individual and his technological capabilities rein supreme. Most of the population will fall into a Dark Age, because they can't compete effectively against hackers and they are reliant on collectivism, debt, and the bankrupt industrial age.

Oh and I am more important than Moldberg in the Dark Enlightenment.

Also Cyberocracy has a more established name Technocracy. Please use the correct term.

[spazzdla]

All of us humans are greedy and can never be trusted.

AI should rule the world.

[commandrix]

All of us humans are greedy and can never be trusted.

AI should rule the world.

Even the best AI is only as good as the people who program or "teach" it. Imagine what would happen if highly advanced AI technology got into the hands of Hitler or Osama bin Laden, for instance. I get the feeling that we're never going to have a perfect government.

[Hazir]

I get the impression that Noocracy is the best 'real' option for the future government. That is really unfortunate because people who are wise are usually suffocated by the masses of idiots.
Also from I could see Dark Enlightenment is in motion now not all people can see it yet.

[Balthazar]

Also Cyberocracy has a more established name Technocracy. Please use the correct term.

These types of organization are very close to each other, but not the same. Technocracy is a type of social organization which governed primarily by technical experts. If you wish some real life examples, soviet-type planned economy was an attempt to implement technocratic society, STP is a social-taylorism in action. But it was implemented with some fatal flaws. This message describes the most of them:

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=518645.msg6769965#msg6769965

In a contrast to the technocratic, a cyberocratic society is ruled by machine and all decision making processes are performed using a special software. There were some attempts to implement such system in the USSR between 1959 and 1965, OGAS and EGSVC systems... Maybe you will be lucky enough to find some A. I. Kitov's and  V. M. Glushkov's publications and read more about that. Their projects were declared as "ready for production usage", but some members of the party were afraid of such type of innovations. They were afraid to loose the power. As the result, Kitov and Glushkov were expelled from the party and their projects were delayed for indefinite future.

---

OGAS is apartial abbreviation of "Oбщeгocyдapcтвeннaя Aвтoмaтизиpoвaннaя Cиcтeмa yчeтa и oбpaбoтки инфopмaции", which could be translated as
Nationwide Automated System of Accounting and information processing. This system was proposed to control the industrial sector.

EGSVC is an abbreviation of "Eдинaя Гocyдapcтвeннaя Ceть Bычиcлитeльныx Цeнтpoв", which means Unified State Network of Computer Centers. EGSVC system was proposed to rule by the military and agricultural sectors.

[Mike Christ]

Futuristic my fucking ass; these are rehashes of the same shit we've been suffering through for the last 10k years.  If mankind is intelligent and rational enough to employ these forms of governments, we don't need them to begin with; we'd solve problems without resorting to "might makes right" and "minority schminority".

[spazzdla]

All of us humans are greedy and can never be trusted.

AI should rule the world.

Even the best AI is only as good as the people who program or "teach" it. Imagine what would happen if highly advanced AI technology got into the hands of Hitler or Osama bin Laden, for instance. I get the feeling that we're never going to have a perfect government.

It is not AI if someone programs it what to think.

[herzmeister]

Futuristic my fucking ass; these are rehashes of the same shit we've been suffering through for the last 10k years.

i dunno what you have  ... seasteading, ancapistan, it's all there