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2014, July 17th
When I was young, 8 to 12 or so, I would lie on the lawn at the side of the house thinking “there must
be someone out there. We can not be alone. How do we detect them, why haven’t they contacted us”?
It took almost 70 years to understand the answer, and now it seems so obvious. As it also explains
why we have all our societal problems, and will continue to follow the course those thinking beings
who — about 8 billion years ago — appeared with a technology similar to our own. After their own
evolution of about 4 billion years from a single cell to a multi-trillion cell thinking being. And
then disappeared.
And why thousands and probably million of such species have appeared and disappeared. For if any of
those species had endured in the intervening five to six billion years, they would have — as we
might say — a technology we could not even dream of. Able to create vast amounts of energy that
would radiate out into the universe. Something like the cosmic background radiation from the Big
Bang.
But, there will only be the several hundred year “blips” as such species reach our level of
technology, apparently flourish for a few hundred years, then are gone. Since, as
Galambos[ 01 ] said,
“No group of thinking beings with a societal system based on coercion will ever achieve the ability
to perform interstellar travel”. This only a “marker” to indicate that the level of coercion and its
consequent disorder and chaos has reached the level where the society becomes non–viable.
You must have wondered, marveled at the phenomenon, that history is littered with the rise and fall
of groups of thinking beings? And that, as population density and connectivity increases, the rate
quickens?
And finally, as I did, think… can it really be so simple? That this thing of controlling the lives
and property of others — institutionalized interference in the lives of others — is what causes the
endless wars and disorder in a society of thinking beings? And what will happen as they — the
societal groups — become increasingly interdependent on each other?
We know from history that one simple little murder, such as of a person who does control the life
and property of others — can cause a world war. And when prime ministers or presidents have a martial
affair, the consequences can be felt in society. As I say with my “Einstein Thought Experiment”,
there are rationality and morality waves in nature.
The more you interfere in the life of another person, the greater the chance they will retaliate,
and interfere in your life. Something unexpected happens. Thus, the interferor did not conserve the
energy, the resources of his life. Entropy, disorder was created, as the interferee retaliated. And
when we — thinking beings — say it is okay to interfere in and control the lives of others we
effectively create the enemies of the future. And set the stage for never-ending war and disorder
that will eventually make the specie non-viable.
With low population density and connectivity in society, it will only be one “empire” — one
political entity — that rises and falls. Such as the empire of Xeres, Alexander, the Pharaohs and
Romans. In fact, is just occurred to me that there might be something approaching a law of nature:
There is a direct connection between population density and connectivity and the rate at which
societal groups fall.
The Pharaohs lasted, what…? Three thousands years or so? The Greeks, with the failed societal system
based on coercion we call “democracy”, lasted only a few hundred years. The Romans an anomaly at 800
or so. Then the rate quickened again.
The sun set on the British empire after only a few hundred years. Can you say the American one is
working well at 300 years or so? With disorder and chaos increasing at an almost geometric rate.
What can be the purpose of life for individual thinking beings when, increasingly, those who control
your life and property do for you what you should do for yourself? And make a disconnect between
actions in life and the responsibility for those actions? Making you increasingly incompetent at
performing the duties and obligations of individual thinking life.
Our societal system will make us non–viable around the 200 year point. And it will also prevent us
from solving the problems related to climate change. You should see that in the result of the
international conferences on some of our other societal problems: crime, economic problems,
education, famine, genocide, healthcare, pensions, poverty, unemployment, war, water. Where they can
barely agree on a meaningless, innocuous conference summary statement. And the venue and timing for
the next conference. And it is the same for climate change, yes?
By the way, the source and cause of mysticism in a society of thinking beings is also simple and
obvious. It is a natural result, an artifact, of the beginning of wonder in thinking beings. The
desire to understand cause and effect in their world. When, in the absence of an intellectual
concept for determining rightness[ 02 ] in knowledge
will result in nothing but failed hypotheses[ 03 ]. Ideas
believed based on faith that their creator is right because of his skill in marketing his idea?
So there you have it: a universe filled with 200 year blips of unnatural, radiated energy. That,
since Homo sapiens have only been able to detect for a hundred years or so, and they occur at what
rate…? We, like all the other thinking species that have appeared, will be gone before the Little
Bang of an earlier thinking specie reaches us.
Somehow, Little Bang does not seem appropriate for such a momentous event as the appearance of a
thinking specie.
Think: If, as Hawking said could happen, life began about 4 billion years after the Big Bang. Then
about 4 billion years later, there should be a thinking specie with a level of technology similar to
our own. And, if they survived, their technology would be billions of years more advanced than our
own, yes…?. And we might be “bathed” in the results of their unnatural creation of energy.
Along with that of thousands, millions of other thinking species that have appeared in the
intervening five to six billion years. Why don’t we call our galaxy the Bruno Galaxy, rather than a
name associated with mysticism? And our planet Aristarchus, for example? Mars would be Kepler?
I will make the bold statement that if this occurs, Homo sapiens have an increased chance of
long-term survival. As it may also mean we have begun to disengage from a societal system based on
coercion. And constant, compulsive interference in the life of others.
I feel this is not complete, even not well done. But I am old and will certainly die soon. Getting
tired of repeating myself. And worry very much that no one understands the criticality of the
situation in which we find ourselves. The only thinking specie extant in the universe? And that we
too will follow all the others. Such a waste of four billion years…
Any comment…?
Respectfully,
William W Morgan
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