As chronicle has repeatedly shown , political systems come and go . Given our rapid technological and social advances , it ’s a drift we can bear to continue . Here are 12 extraordinary — and even frightening — ways our governments could be run in the time to come .
1. Noocracy
Similar to Plato ’s “ government of the wise , ” a noocracy would be , in the news of “ biosphere ” popularizer Vladimir Vernadsky , “ a social and political system base on the precedency of the human mind . ” recall of it as a kind of futuristic global brain configured for governance .
Coined by the Jesuit mystic Teilhard de Chardin , it would be the evolutionary outgrowth of democracy , a pliable and adaptable arrangement comprise of witting , systematic , and charge element which will manoeuver in decentralized autonomous subsystem . One manifestation could see the raise of theNoosphereand the software of the “ syntellect ” — a incorporated orhive - like civilizational mindthat integrate all individual minds , both raw and hokey , likely through the accumulative effects of informational networks .
What comes next after the Noosphere ?
How Much Longer Until Humanity Becomes A Hive Mind ?
2. Cyberocracy
( Sergey Nivens / Shutterstock )
In acyberocracy , governments , or governmental mental institution , would rule by the effective use of information .
Back in 1992 , David Ronfeldt identified two ways in which cyberocracy could demonstrate itself :
Narrow : A physique of organisation that supplants traditional form of bureaucracy and technocracy
Broad : A kind of government that may redefine relation between state and high society , and between the public sector and the private sector
Again , information - driven decision making is key . Ronfeldt says that “ bureaucratism bet on going through channels and keeping information in bounds ; in contrast , cyberocracy may place a insurance premium on gaining information from any reference , public or private . Technocracy accentuate ‘ hard ’ quantitative and econometric skill , like computer programming and budgeting methodologies ; in demarcation , a cyberocracy may convey a new accent on ‘ gentle ’ symbolical , ethnical , and psychological dimensions of policymaking and public opinion . ”
The item of a cyberocracy is to overcome the deficiencies posed by traditional bureaucracies . Using the belated communicating and surveillance applied science , a cyberocracy would react quick to relevant information from the source of a problem . Eventually , a cyberocracy could practice administrative AIs — or even an AI as head of state , forming a “ machine rule ” government .
3. An AI Singleton
( Bruce Rolff / Shutterstock )
But once an artificial intelligence becomes sophisticated and powerful enough , it could determine itself up as aSingleton — a hypothetical world gild in which there is a single conclusion - make agency ( or entity ) at the highest level of control .
It could do this either overtly or covertly . To do so , a superintelligent singleton would utilize surveillance , creative thinker - control technologies , robotics , and other forms of artificial intelligence service , not to observe the use of apocalyptic threat . More optimistically , an AI singleton could remold our satellite ( or universe of discourse ) to maximize our eudaemonia .
4. Democratic World Government
We may very well be on our way to achieving the Star Trek - comparable vision ofa global - scale liberal democracy — one subject of terminate atomic proliferation , insure worldwide security , interpose to end genocide , defending human rights , and putting a stop to man - caused climate variety .
Thus far , globalization come along to be extend across three stages . The first phase is cultural globalization , the second economical , and the third political . The first and 2d stages are largely perfect , though some protectionism still exists . The last stage has proven to be the most unmanageable ; land - states are incredibly hesitant to give up reign . But the profligacy of border may be an inexorable trend that underlies civilizational development , as see by the unification of China under the Qin Dynasty , the formation of the United States of America , the current experiment known as the European Union , and the likely unification of all African countries . Taken to its ordered conclusion , we may eventually accomplish a popular erratic governing .
5. The Polystate
But if one overarch spheric organization is not to your liking , you could always go non - local .
In his book , Polystate : A Thought experimentation in Distributed Government , Zach Weinersmith speculates about what governments would look like if they did n’t prevail over geographic location , but instead rule over nous . Weinersmith , who is well eff for his webcomicSaturday Morning Breakfast Cereal , describe the polystate as a geopolitical entity in which multiple overlapping states be — but each “ state ” consist of citizens who have agreed to the laws of a unmarried non - geographical state ; typical geographically - bound nations , or traditional “ geostates ” , would be replaced by “ polystates ” , which are collections of “ anthrostates ” . So it ’s not a particular form of government , but a meta - government in which each soul is free to take a newfangled Old Ironsides on a semi - regular foundation without having to physically relocate .
Writing in Gadfly , Daniel Listwaexplains it like this :
In other words , while a fascistic know in a democratic geostate would have to abide by the majority rule ’s laws , in a polystate a fascist could pick out to dwell in a fascist anthrostate . While the laws of the fascist state will use to her , they may not apply to her neighbor , who may be citizens of a societal republic or communist country . citizen would be regularly give the opportunity to alter anthrostates , permit them to try out with forms of governance and easily hightail it the sovereignty of a regime they do not agree with . This is in arrant contrast to the modernistic geostate , where even if one can change government , it is with great trouble . The conditional relation search in Polystate are tremendous . Just take the outgrowth of North Korea , for instance . As Weinersmith pen , “ It is hard to imagine that he [ Kim Jong - un ] would have this big population if any of his citizens could have freely switched to any other government . ”
Relatedly , there ’s Frey and Eichenberger’sFunctional Overlapping Jurisdictions(FOCJ ) to consider , a moderate pattern of panarchy .
6. Futarchy
This is the brainchild of George Mason economist and futurist Robin Hanson .
“ Underfutarchy , we would vote on values , but bet on beliefs , ” Hanson told io9 . “ That is , elect representatives would formally define and manage an after - the - fact numeric measure of national welfare . Market speculators would set damage that estimate national welfare conditional on adopting pop the question policies . When the market place estimate of welfare conditional on adopting a policy is eminent than the idea conditional on non - adoption , that proposal becomes law . ”
7. Delegative Democracy
Also screw as liquid democracy , it’sdescribed by Bryan Fordas a new substitution class for democratic organization where single ballot transfer of training , or delegation , is emphasized over batch election . In such a system , voting exponent is vested in delegate rather than illustration .
In a delegative democracy , members of the electorate can have the selection of participating actively in the establishment by becoming a delegate , or participating passively by delegating their private voting to a delegate . This means , a person does n’t have to involve themselves in an yield or safari that does n’t concern or concern them . But tonality to this process would be to chose a delegate that can be trusted with the suffrage . As Ford writes ,
An someone can choose her delegate on whatever proximity footing she feels is most significant to her , such as geographic neck of the woods , cultural or spiritual identity , economic berth , or other mutual interests .
In the time to come , I can suppose unreal intelligence information take on the role of delegate . The AI will determine your political preference and priorities , and consequently vote on your behalf . The prank to delegative democracy , of trend , is secure that votes are n’t passed on to a delegate through compulsion , payoff , or other trickery .
8. Seasteading
( AndrasGyorfi )
For those of you looking to escape into international pee , there ’s always seasteading to consider — modular , autonomous , voluntary city - land . They could take on the physical body of abandoned ocean liners or anything else that floats . The basic musical theme is that enterpriser and societal experimenter can accomplish their goals without all those annoying laws and taxes let in the way , so there ’s a definite libertarian element to this political system , if it can even be called that .
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 .
Will Old People Take Over the populace ?
It ’s a prospect that ’s been treat extensively in scifi , including Bruce Sterling ’s Holy Fire in which gerontocrats exert almost all upper-case letter and political power , while the younger population live as foreigner . Frederik Pohl ’s Search the Sky feature a gerontocracy masquerade as a majority rule . It ’s a theme that was also addressed in the 1967 novel Logan ’s Run , write by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson . In this history , an ageist society , for thwart elderly influence and a drain on worthful resource , action everyone over the age of 21 .
10. Demarchy
Coined by Australian philosopher John Burnheim , a demarchy , or lottocracy , is a signifier of political science in which the state is governed by at random select determination manufacturing business who have been selected from a pool of eligible citizen . Demarchies have been portray extensively in scifi , including Alastair Reynolds ’s Revelation Space series of novel ( where it ’s used to flatten hierarchies ) , Arthur C. Clarke ’s Songs of Distant Earth ( the futuristic gild on Thalassa is rule by demarchy ) , and Kim Stanley Robinson ’s Mars Trilogy ( where the Martian regime ’s lower house is select by sortition ) .
11. A Dark Enlightenment
If a band of wingnut anarcho - capitalist get their way , we ’ll take one step forward by overthrowing liberal republic — and then take two steps back by re - instating a monarchist or authoritarian arrangement . The ringleader of thisneoreactionary movement , or moody enlightenment as its called , is Mencius Moldbug . He advocates for the revival of the traditions of westerly civilization , or a return to a “ natural ” guild of things . frighteningly , the idea has received support from some fantast and Silicon Valley types . In his Baffler article , “ Mouthbreathing Machiavellis Dream of a Silicon Reich , ” Corey Pein writes :
TechCrunch , which first usher in me to Moldbug , treats the ” Geeks for Monarchy ” movement as an Internet curio . But The Telegraph says , yes , this is ” sophisticated neo - fascism ” and must be present . Vocativ , which call it “ creepy-crawly , ” agrees that it should be bring gravely .
The scientific discipline fiction authorDavid Bringoes further in his scuttlebutt on a Moldbug web log mail service , accusingthe blogger of auditioning for the part of Machiavelli to some future - fascist dictator …
… Neoreactionaries are explicitly courting wealthy elites in the tech sector as the most open and influential audience . Why inconvenience oneself with aggregative appeal , when you ’re rebuilding the ancien régime ?
Thankfully , these guys are still on the sidelines of believability , which is potential where they ’ll stay .
12. Post-Apocalyptic Hunter-Gatherers
( Stokkete / Shutterstock )
Speaking of infantile fixation , there ’s also the possibility that some kind of catastrophic event will force us to revert to paleolithic political sympathies . In the event of some sort of environmental or technological catastrophe , we may have no choice but to do as our distant root did : unrecorded day - to - 24-hour interval in small tribal band , eeking out an existence by hunt and scrounge .
democracyFuturismGovernmentPolitics
Daily Newsletter
Get the best tech , skill , and culture newsworthiness in your inbox day by day .
News from the time to come , delivered to your present .
You May Also Like
