Is the world-state the next logical form of government? How will it work?

Question

Human civilization has, more or less, evolved from tribal-state to city-state to nation-state over the last 10,000 years or so. It would seem that the next logical step is world-state. What new challenges would such a govenment face? What would be the benefits and drawbacks?

I am curious as to whether anyone here as studied this idea before, and if there are any philosophical or anthropological works available on the subject.

Answer 1

Yes, it will be headed towards a one world order government. But it will masquerade itself as democracy and the will of the people (and, unfortunately, not be too far off the mark in that either). The Corporations of the world that sell and persuade us what our addictions will be are to be the power that rules in the future. The optimists will look at it as freedom in the sense that those who rule will be those who are merely supplying us with what the majority in the world demand. The pessimists among us will undoubtedly know that media and mass marketing have trained us with rewards and possessions of their own making.

Answer 2

The essential work on this is "After the Nation-state: Citizens, Tribalism and the New World Disorder" by Horsman and Marshall.

They actually see the next step as a sort-of return to tribalism, which I agree with, although I see it as intellectual triablism (think red state/blue state) not area-based.

Answer 3

i haven't really studied it, we touched on the idea briefly in my intro to anthropology class but when i say briefly i really do mean no more than a 10 minuet discussion. Having said that, i think that maybe in the next 1,000 to 1,500 years it may be possible but not right now. and even then it will only work if global warming wipes half of us out because the earth is a large place when thinking in terms of controlling its whole population. we have too much drama with religion and people fighting over who it right and who is wrong. i think even if the earth had a president ( as they have on futurama on cartoon network's adult swim, where the actually use this idea as the basis for the show) we would still need smaller forms of local government. That's my opinion. Thanks for getting me thinking.

Answer 4

Challenges? Dear god I can only imagine.

Look at how many idealogical, religious, political, racial, ethnic, and various other differences there are in the world. If you can find a leader that at least a majority could agree upon, and a government form that the majority would like I would follow it in a heartbeat.

The benefits I think wouldn't be necessary until we have interstellar travel, then the individual planets could govern themselves, but for right now I think the benefits would be outweighed by the IMMENSE challenges of getting people to agree.

Answer 5

I have read views which posit that business is rapidly becoming the new organizing force or defacto government in the world. Governments are losing power to the demands of multinational business, which bows first to profit, and are increasingly independent of nation states. This evolution is dependent upon cheap transport of goods, which may or may not continue with the energy and ecological challenges that face us.

Answer 6

The world, if allowed to continue, will divide into ideological sectors like Euro, Indo, West, and Latin.

Answer 7

I believe that was for-told several thousand years ago, and still believed to this day. Amazing, huh ??