Shaking lose from the bonds of history

Starting today, if you could design a better society, how would you start? Many of the characteristics of our current model are based on horse and buggy concepts. First the Industrial Revolution and then the modern Information Age have changed everything. Not all of those changes are good. None of them are planned. Instead, because something was possible, it was done. At the same time, new technologies offer amazing potential benefits. Realistically, if advances had not been made in agriculture and food distribution, starvation would be rampant to an even greater degree than it is. The Malthusian limits to growth have been expanded, but there is still a limit. We are poisoning our skies and water, squandering our limited natural resources and standing idly by as millions starve, or are murdered or victimized by brutal governments.

First, it is important to realize that Utopia (literally "nowhere") is not the goal. Perfect societies are often predicated on perfect people but like Utopias, those people are scarce. Instead, there must be laws and a system of checks and balances. Those are some of the features that have made the United States as resilient as it has been. While there may still be some debate as to whether the United States' model is the best available, few would argue that it is perfect. There are many other examples of social systems that have worked well, or not so well. Socialism and central planning failed in the Soviet Union. Monarchies, dictatorships and theocracies have perpetrated horrendous acts on their citizens (and neighbors.) Democracies have also trampled on the rights of minorities and unchecked capitalism has created huge inequities between the "haves" and the "have-nots".

If we are to liberate ourselves from the mistakes of the past, we must start with a relatively clean slate. Reexamine each facet of modern life and design a system that takes advantage of new capabilities, recognizes the limitations of carrying capacity and provides opportunities for as many as possible. We must also always be mindful of the past, for both its successes and its failures.

So what are the areas to be considered? Here's a starting list (in no particular order). We will expand it as we go:

• Energy
• Privacy and security
• Governance
• Education
• Healthcare
• Money and Taxation
• Population, immigration and emigration
• Transpotation
• Public infrastructure
• Living standards and incentives
• Foreign Relations
• Natural resources and ownership
• Personal Liberties, Rights vs. Responsibilities

There are many subjects that fall into multiple categories. Many decisions will be interrelated. The plan is to create a series of forums to discuss these issues. Rather than a running battle of "Yes" and "No", once a series of alternatives are generated for each major question that is raised, separate forums will be created to discuss each one, probably by invitation only. This will allow a "coalition of the willing" to work together toward a goal.

The forums will be set up shortly. Each subject will be launched with a new post. While there may be suggestions and references in those posts, the intent is that the participants will drive the direction of the discussions. As such, it is important to have broad participation. Please sign up to follow the blog and pass the word along.