Do you think the world will unite?

[moonbogg]

Do you think the boundaries that separate countries will ever go away? Will the world no longer be segregated at some point in the future? Do you think people will evolve socially to the point to where they consider the quality of the lives of others to be as important as their own?
I expect the world to reach a tipping point where this does happen, but I won't be around to see it.

 

[TecHNooB]

yes. all we need an extraterrestrial alien invasion. we're due for one

 

[mikeymikec]

I'm not sure what countries' boundaries have to do with people being more selfless. Plenty of people identify themselves as being from a particular country without feeling the need to be a douchebag towards people from other countries.

If it ever occurs, I don't think it's a "tipping point" scenario, but a slow and steady move towards what you're describing. People having pride to the detriment of others isn't something that goes away suddenly.

 

[mizzou]

the only thing that will bring us together, ultimately, is inter-racial marriage on a massive scale.

once we all look the same, the we destroy any shred of historical culture, and completely adopt commercial culture.

honestly, a united world would kind of suck and lose its character

 

[unokitty]

Just stay off my lawn!

Uno

 

[CPA]

Who the f wants a one-world government?

 

[_Rick_]

Who the f wants a one-world government?

I do.

 

[MontyAC]

Only when mankind dies off.

 

[Greenman]

The thread title and the poll questions assume a conclusion that I don't agree with, so I couldn't vote.

 

[natto fire]

Only when mankind dies off.

Agreed, and this will probably happen before plate tectonics bring the major landmasses back together again, to form "amasia". If we do manage to survive that long, I imagine culture would be about impossible to predict.

 

[IronWing]

If only I could buy the world a coke.

 

[Quantos]

The most hopefully positive answer I can provide for this is: yes, but it'll probably be the result of war, not pacific union. The most honest? Nope, not gonna happen. We'll fuck ourselves over.

 

[mistercrabby]

The thread title and the poll questions assume a conclusion that I don't agree with, so I couldn't vote.

^^^

The logic error in the pole notwithstanding, a single, global governmental entity is very, very, unlikely. That has nothing to do with humanity as a species.

 

[AustinInDallas]

I think the UN(or something like it) will eventually gain more power, but countries will always have some level of sovereignty

 

[JTsyo]

I think the UN(or something like it) will eventually gain more power, but countries will always have some level of sovereignty

Maybe something like the Articles of Confederation. Though looking through human history we're more likely to get an Empire that dominates the world than a world wide democratic government.

 

[AustinInDallas]

If only I could buy the world a coke.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6Pvu7yEnK8

they need to bring back that marketing campaign

 

[AustinInDallas]

Maybe something like the Articles of Confederation. Though looking through human history we're more likely to get an Empire that dominates the world than a world wide democratic government.

look forward instead of backward

 

[dighn]

i think the borders that separate us now may eventually erode (after a long, long time), but we won't become one big mono-culture; instead there will be groups segregated by other borders like ideologies, socioeconomic statuses etc.

 

[mikeymikec]

I do.

Have a look at the EU (probably the US as well, I don't know) as to why this is a bad idea. Different countries have different problems, notions of justice, advantages and disadvantages. A world government would simply succeed in alienating more people on the planet with every decision and a bureaucracy the size of a few countries' GDPs.

I think humanity would take a huge progressive leap forward if the governments of developed countries were interested in doing their jobs (serving the people, managing their resources efficiently, and leading by example) rather than primarily satisfying the egos of those who pursue power.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

the problems are not the physical boundaries, but rather the philosophical and ideological.

I am not sure if we will ever converge, barring much more wars and fighting. Ex. Israel. That situation will never be resolved peacefully. Though it may stale mate for a long time. Plenty of other examples. Religion and social customs are huge part of it, but so is governance strategy. Given enough time, enough failed states we may learn what is best, but there will always be some that disagree. Unless there is a dominant and ruthless ruling power willing to immediately to kill all dissidents. Though they would have to be very powerful to suppress all revolutions.

You could set up a single government, that allowed smaller divisions to self-govern, and could be geolocated based on shared political leanings & social customs, but thats not what you are asking.

Do you think people will evolve socially to the point to where they consider the quality of the lives of others to be as important as their own?

This counteracts our basic biology that puts our own survival and the survival of our families above all else. A human will NEVER care about a random human as much as they care for themselves and rightfully so. That would be devolution.

 

[Muse]

It depends on what you call united. You could make an argument that we are now, are far from it, will be, will never be.

 

[NoCreativity]

I don't know that the human experiment will fail, but there will always be groups of people fighting other groups of people for one reason or another (land, resources, money, power, etc.).

 

[RedRooster]

Communism will never work.

 

[CPA]

I do.

Really? And what would that one-world government look like? Would it be a Presidency, with a Congress to check it, or would it be Parliamentary in nature? Or maybe military rule? What rights would it protect? What type of economy would it promote? What religion, if any, would it back? What language would become official?

You don't really have to answer these questions, but I can assure you, if you did, there would be at least one, if not more, answers that we would disagree on. For that matter alone, we will never unite and a one-world government would not work.

 

[Fritzo]

I'm thinking once religious extremism dies down, we'll eventually have a world government. Probably not for another 1-2 centuries though.