The Perfect Society
I had a long thinking today (lots of brain calories spent 
) about how I would like to see the world shaping into. This is the organization scheme that I have came up with:
* Citizens are living in small autonomous towns, up to 5,000 residents each.
* Every town is about 5km away from the next towns, north, east, west and south. Together, they shape a circle with 5 towns in any given circle (”sister towns”).
* Each town can be part of up to 4 circles, meaning that its immediate neighbors can be up to 13 towns (”cousin towns”, check image). It is the responsibility of each neighbor to make sure their 4 neighbor sister towns are in good health. If there is a natural disaster, it is the neighbor’s responsibility to help out (for free) the unlucky town. Because this would put a strain on the financial resources of these neighboring towns, their own neighboring towns must help them out. Overall, it balances out because of the “neighbor system” that keeps expanding far away.
* Each town is completely autonomous, they produce 80% of what they need. For the rest, they import while at the same time they export their own “special” resources.
* Each town is 90% the same as their neighboring towns, however there is a difference on the services it can provide (e.g. you only need one law school for each 100 towns). This way, the most immediate needs are satisfied by the town itself, and the less immediate ones from another town that exports this ability as a unique service. This means that if a town needs a lawyer, they must send the qualified student to study in that other town (or they must “import” a lawyer who would agree to move to their town with his family). In other words, that 10% of difference is what sets each town apart in terms of “having something special to sell”.
* There should be birth control so population never rises in a way that puts the rest of the community in jeopardy by creating e.g. a jobless environment or lower pays. Each town must regulate itself. It is like a country in itself and so when necessary, it can pose controls like “1 child per family for the next 10 years”.
* Each town is governed by the 5-member “Council” which is voted by the town’s residents (they are all citizens anyway) every year. Voting is mandatory for all above 18 years old.
* Citizens must apply for move if they want to live in another town. Each of these citizens have been specialized in a profession, so there should be a need for that profession in that new town, and there should be enough population margin to be accepted in.
* Each town is built identical to the other one, although it would be nice to have architecture “themes” simply because humans hate repetition. But overall, each town is built like in the picture below.
* Because these towns are pretty small, citizens can go anywhere they like by foot or bicycle or the town bus system that can circle any point in town within 15 minutes. There is no reason to own a car, although it is possible to own an electric one (if you have the money for it, as it would be considered a luxury at that point) and visit neighbor towns and attractions.
* Every about 100 towns there is a “city”. A city can have up to 10,000 people in it. It is shaped as any town (it’s just bigger) and it is also a part of a circle. A city has a special role. It is the place where it has a specialty that no other city or town in the world has. For example, it could be a city where NASA produces their turbine engines. Or Viagra makes research… Or most movies are shot. Or the central government is housed.
* Because these cities always have to import stuff from other places, they will have to export their special good. Prices are always regulated so you don’t get extorted to give them 100 oranges for 1 pill of viagra.
* The “central government” is nothing but another, larger council, that regulates the towns’ well-being and overall stability rather than taking super-important decisions. That council is called “The Regulators” and they are nothing but mediators. For example, if there is an epidemic the Regulators can decide to order a town that creates a specific drug to send help immediately for cheap or no price (their loss would balance out when their own neighbors help them to overcome that loss). But they can’t take life and death decisions, neither they can approve a let’s say, $20 billion budget for NASA. To approve very important decisions, they must prove their case in the 50 or 100 or 500 of the neighbour towns that are affected by the decision and then their Councils should vote. This way, democracy prevails in a more direct way than the kind of democracy we have today. If the important matter is global, then all town Councils of the world can vote (electronically, of course).
* Despite this model showing people as “isolated”, this is not true. People can travel for vacations and they can communicate freely via the internet or any other similar form. They can exchange ideas freely.
* Buses run within every town and trains within their sister and cousin towns. Each city can easily be reached by train. Each city has an airplane field.
* Because there is no traffic problem anymore or long driving times to go from home to work and vice versa, citizens can work 8 hours a day, plus 1 hour of community work and still have enough time to… go out and play.
* Every person pays three kinds of taxes. One for his town, one for his neighboring towns and one for the whole globe (cities). Each person can cut in half the tax of one of these 3 taxes by working one extra hour a day on a community project.
* For example, if NASA requires a new guiding system, a local engineer can take a role on that global community project and work 1 hour per day on it. If his local school needs gardening, he can take that job for 1 hour a day and have that kind of tax cut in half, etc. There should be a big approved list of projects eligible for the 3 kinds of tax cut.
* All kids above 12 years old are encouraged to take on a similar local project for an hour a day. This helps them strengthen the notion of community. Senior citizens can too.
* People who work at night or weekends will get the local tax cut without having to work on community projects. This way people with “screwed up” jobs balance out with people with more normal jobs.
* There can be freelance jobs, e.g. lawyers, artists. Artists can get a permit to perform at nearby towns. They can get asked to come and perform further away if they are too popular and they can get that global success via the internet.
* People can get rich. However, there is not much you can do with all your money. You can buy an electric car, jewelery, even apply for eligibility for a bigger house, or a summer house at a town close to the sea (for the right price to a town that specializes in leisure for example), but overall you have limits on what you can do with all the money you make. You can’t buy a jet for example, or start building a 30-room villa or buy big chunks of land. In fact, the more you give back to the town (e.g. you can sponsor local researchers, or pay medical bills for your townsfolk that need to go to a specialized hospital at another town) the more you become eligible to use your money in more ways possible. Basically the money is not the end target, but a vehicle to help yourself and your peers.
* Overall, the system has a big middle class of citizens, few rich people who are not really living a life much different than the middle class people and even fewer poor people — who are not really that poor.
The three major points of my proposals are:
- Autonomy.
- Specialization.
- Balance.
Some people might find this model “communistic”, but I don’t think it is. It has elements from ancient Sparta and Athens, Buddhism, both communism and capitalism and the fact that each town is autonomous gives the citizens a reason to live for. Their town is their family and chances are that they will stay close to perfect that environment. There is real equality, real representative democracy and a sense of community towards your peers. I think the model can work, but not before there are no “Countries”, “Corporations” and “Corruption” in the world (the 3 Cs). Maybe after another world war the humanity gets it right, who knows.
18 Comments »
Amazing
Not that it matters, but I think that producing 80% of its needs for cities of 5000 inhabitants is impossible, unless you give up almost all about modern society (which it seems you don’t). This cities could produce a maximum of 10% of their needs, and the other 90% should be exchanged. This would mean that a big amount of resources would go to transport, since we have no big cities anymore…. Hhmm, maybe by the time this is possible from a social/human point of view, it will also be technically possible, since we would have reached an incredible development.
Do you know a book called Walden Two? An interesting read.
This reminds me also of how I like watching ants. I live in the mountains near Madrid I watch them every day. It’s amazing what they do, their well organized society, how they work together… Incredible creatures.
Yup, ants are indeed model citizens. While individually are not very interesting, collectively they are “intelligent” according to some scientists.
As for the autonomous percentage of needs for each town, you are right, until technology is able to produce more with less effort, more exchange of goods would be required.
I finished reading it, but it caused my real physical pain towards the end. I mean, come on, how many people you know that would willingly commit themselves to such constraints ? Oh, and 1 child per 10 years ? We’re not India or China (sorry people, but it’s true), most of our numbers are descreasing. And yes, I am a family man and I’d like more than 1 child. Permits to leave town ? Each town being 90% similar to the neighbors ? Each town being built identical ? The town is your family ?
I don’t think this whole stuff is communistic, no-no. More like some really wierd try to create some perverted utopia with most things an average man would want subdued on the altar of ignorant uniformity.
Would make a good subject for a sci-fi though
Reminds me of “A Wrinkle in Time”. I loved that book.
Reminds me how Communism fell. Very Communistic, indeed. With this kind of cities, people would live like robots…
Sorry, but I don’t think you get the grander scheme. I am personally willing to give up a few comforts just so the race lives on in a better way, with some true democracy in place. Living in a town like that would be far better than living in today’s “democratic” New York or London.
You are putting yourselves in a box just by spitting stuff out about “we want our free freedom”. In my proposal you still have your freedom (and there of course will be ways to be with your loved ones if you fall in love with people from another town), just not do whatever the hell you want that might cause instability to the society. No, you are not a number, and the fact that you will be living in a small town make you an individual. But overall, the stability of the society is more important than your individual “I want a new house, car and TV system” gripe. And even with that, quality of living would be high, not low as in it was in USSR.
Even in the animal kingdom some animals would be killed by their own kind just because they had sex and bore babies that made the herd so big that caused instability. This is how NATURE works, and I tried to apply nature in the best way possible without having to kill anyone. And even in today’s system I am FOR birth control, 7 billion people in a small planet like Earth are simply too many. We are overpopulated and the worst is yet to come.
But in order to bring the desired balance, individuals must abide to some rules. So, stop spitting stuff about communism and non-freedom, cause this is not like that at all. In fact, this is a more democratic system than what we have today in the West or what USSR or China ever had: there is no central government, only regional one. If you have a problem with a decision made, all you have to do is go knock the door of the Council member who voted it. Try to do that with Bush, or even your local governor. The trick is that the towns are too small: this ensures individuality, a small strong society and real democracy where no one stays in power for too long.
And yet, you still can buy and own stuff. This is not communism. And there are mechanisms in place to move elsewhere or get married with someone else from another town. It might sound sour to you, but mechanisms are needed to ensure balance. You can’t have a town near the sea with 40,000 people that can only feed 5,000. This is what happens today in many places, and many people are jobless. Sorry, but if you want a world without poverty, systems like this is the only way to ensure this.
But it seems that you like both the cake and eating it too. Dream on. There is no such political system that can give you both. The world you are living right now is an ILLUSION of “things are good”. Look at Katrina in New Orleans, look how many poor people were living in the most rich nation of the world. Did I say rich? Do you know that ALL countries of the world are owing money to each other, including the most rich nation in the world? Do you know that Corporations do whatever they want and Bush simply does whatever their oil friends want him to do? And that the situation in Russia today is even worse than it used to be under the tyranny of the Kremlin?
How is THAT democracy and my proposal isn’t? But as I said, you don’t like it because you are used to eat your cake and become big fat blind citizens. You are given FALSE impressions that you are “free” to do this or that today, but what you should be really free of, you are not.
The Good News:
Eugenia has a lot of time to think about how to better structure society
The Bad New:
Eugenia has a lot of time to think about how to better structure society
;}
I think your proposal misses one very significant human desire.
Some people want to be different, some people want to do crazy stuff, some want to live in strange and unique places, some like to spend their live travelling around, not everyone thrieves for a simple and “correct” life, some are seeking dangers and misery, some want to be entrepeneurs, etc.
So how do these people fit into your proposal?
Btw, if everything is perfect, what is left to be fighting for? (fighting in a sense of being passionate about something, and in the sense of making war.)
Cheers
-Richard
PS.: Perfection Equals Death
Sorry, the last sentance should say:
(fighting in a sense of being passionate about something, and NOT in the sense of making war.)
Richard, having dangerous hobbies or traveling the world is not a problem because of my proposal. There is a motel in each town. You just can’t live there forever if you don’t have a job skill that is needed there. You must be _needed_ to go live elsewhere. It is the same in the animal kingdom. To join another herd, you must prove that you are needed.
>what is left to be fighting for?
Why do men always think of fight? I don’t want to fight for anything, I never had any such ambition in my life. I just want to live a care-free life, with good health and good security. Why do I need to start fighting with anyone?
If you want to “fight for” something, fight for an even better quality of life. Or, join the fight of an important medicine by signing up to a community project. You can also fight to be the best in a sport you like. Or fight to be the best damn chemist. You don’t have to fight for “your country”, because there won’t be such an arcane idea anymore. All humans are equal, there are no countries, no borders. To live in such a peaceful environment, some personal sacrifices must be made to ensure that this will continue to be as such.
But as I said, people want their cake and eating it too. They want to eliminate poverty from the world, but on the same time they don’t want to go under a few restrictions in their life that would liberate those in poverty.
>what is left to be fighting for?
BTW, the main thing that a citizen should be fighting for is for the stability and balance of his town. That’s the main thing.
Sorry, but I don’t like this idea. It is too
-communistic
-constraining
-complicated
(just to get my 3 c’s as well
What I would _love_ is:
One world government deciding only on things that affect all mankind (deseases, global warming, …) plus the possibility to create a new country with its own government and laws, provided that you
-gather a significant amount of people (maybe 10k-100k) who want to live in this country
-follow the global laws which means especially
-allow everybody to leave the country if he wants to
This way there could even be a small country where people live according to your ideas if there are enough who want this.
When a country drops below a certain population its inhabitants must choose which country they want to join.
Anyway, it’s sort of comforting that I’m not the only one who thinks about this stuff.
So I really hate to shoot down your idea but I _personally_ think there are already far too many restrictions.
If people choose something over freedom they’ll lose both.
Imo capitalism and fair competition are everything that’s needed. Besides proper education, of course, because you aren’t going anywhere in a country crowded with retards. Even democracy cannot help you if the majority is dumb or lives in apathy.
I already have my own town for which I fill stand up and fight. It’s called Warmenhuizen, it has 5000 inhabitants and is over 1300 years old.
And even in today’s system I am FOR birth control, 7 billion people in a small planet like Earth are simply too many. We are overpopulated and the worst is yet to come.
And where is overpopulation a problem? In the west?
No, Eugenia, it’s a problem in the poor part of this world. In the west, population numbers will start decreasing in a few decades; even now, population figures in the west are relatively stable compared to the manic growth seen in the past few centuries.
The way to fight overpopulation is not by birth control. China has shown us that this simply DOES NOT WORK. I REAL WORLD example, RIGHT THERE. Do you know how many baby girls are murdered or given away in China EACH YEAR, because parents prefer boys?
If you want to fight overpopulation, you need to fight poverty. People in poor countries (Africa, for instance) get lots of kids because they need their kids to take care of them when they grow old (no social security to take care of the sick and old). And since life expectancy is so low and infant death is high, they need to have more children, to increase the odds of at least one being able to take care of the parents when the need arises.
Your little utopia sounds nice and all, but it lacks any form of understanding of mankind and its problems. I just took the above as an example.
The bureaucracy would probably self destruct.
Citizens must apply for move ? So if you fall in love with someone from another town you can’t move because they already have enough people of you skill set ?
Birth control ? They have that in China, and let me tell you it doesn’t work out so well. They value boys over girls. My junior high school history teacher was born in China. All I remember of the little bit I heard was that she was on the street or in a homeless shelter, had to eat out of dumpsters, and contracted hepatitis. All this changed when she was adopted by Chinese-Americans, except for the hepatitis. Now she’s a rich lesbian principal with a huge house and a pool.
Your scenario would make a good game, like the Sims.
Well, maybe you’re right, and enough challenges remain, even if the basic needs like shelter and security are provided without any hassles.
But even then, I believe that such a society could enconter problems that we cannot imagine yet, even though it would be interesting to find out about these.
btw. this kind of utopia was surely inspired by startrek.
Cheers
-Richard
I’m sorry Eugenia, but this makes no sense. Maybe you want to throw away your freedom and identity to live in City #3473, as Tertiary Adjunct of Unimatrix 34, but the rest of the world values freedom and identity.
No thanks. I’d prefer to have as many children as my wife and I can support and not what the government *thinks* I should have. I’d also enjoy being able to live in whatever town I chose.
I also happen to like the free market economy as it rewards those who work hard or innovate. If someone wants to sell Viagra for a hundred oranges, then the only people to blame are those who are willing to buy it at that price.
All in all, your vision of an ideal society is based primarily on a sophomoric understanding of human sociology and economics.
Kenneth, I am no economist. I am just a dreamer who tries to makes sense of it all — just like everybody else. It’s just that I do think and write about how we can perfect our time here in this planet, while 99.9% of the people out there don’t give a fuck to even spend 10 minutes think about it.
I prefer to live with fewer freedoms and make sure that everything works as it should. You don’t. I am willing to sacrifice a few things that you take for granted today so my child can have a better future.
Comments are closed as this blog post is now archived.
Lines, paragraphs break automatically. HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>The URI to TrackBack this blog entry is this. And here is the RSS 2.0 for comments on this post.