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#126 Re: Human missions » To the moon first... - then to Mars and asteroids... » 2004-01-11 19:07:59
We could ask NASA to plan to use Luna as a place where people practice building model structures for permanent Martian settlements.
This might involve (1) sending nuclear reactors to Luna, (2) using the reactors to melt Lunar rock, (3) pouring liquid rock into molds to form building blocks, and (4) assembling the blocks to form habitable structures. Once we have mastered these building techniques, we could do the same thing on Mars. This would facilitate the establishment of permanent human settlements on Mars.
On Luna, we might start by creating an "open pit mine" that is 50 meters across and that has a straight access road that gradually slopes down to the bottom of the pit. The material from these excavations could be melted to form building bocks. Those blocks could then be taken down the access road to the bottom of the pit and assembled into a dome. Additional blocks would then be used to transform the access road into a tunnel. The dome and access tunnell could then be buried. An airlock could be constructed inside the access tunnel. Then a sealant could be applied to the interior of the dome and airlock and the dome could be filled with air.
Stacking building blocks up to form a dome can be a tricky task. However, I have conceived of a way to hold blocks in place during construction that does not require a support scaffold. This technique requires that the blocks have a special shape. Fortunately, it would not be difficult to give the blocks this special shape. The shape of the mold would determine the shape of the blocks.
#127 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2004-01-08 21:18:29
jadeheart:
You have proposed, "choosing the first Martian colonists for their LACK of religion."
In "Songs of Distant Earth," Arthur C. Clarke wrote about a new human society that was "free from the threat of supernatural restraints." This sort of fresh start would be a very interesting thing to watch develop. An experiment like this might answer the question of whether science can completely replace religion. One of the eight "experimental neighborhoods" in The City of Euthenia could declare itself a "religion-free zone" and undertake to test the social viability of a strictly naturalistic worldview. I am a naturalist and I would like to be a part of that experiment. In that neighborhood, Phi would probably be referred to as the Golden Ratio, not as the Divine Proportion.
#128 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2004-01-08 15:51:21
Clark:
You wrote, "We have a localy elected Sheriff (by our neighborhood Council, right?) and several assistants." No, I have not proposed "neighborhood councils." The City Council of the City of Euthenia could be composed of one representative from each neighborhood. The City Council would therefore have 100 members. The City Council might meet once or twice a month and I anticipate that they would serve on a volunteer basis. Based on my experience as a member of the board of directors of a homeowners' association, I believe that serving on the Euthenia City Council is not a job that would require monetary compensation.
I think that if neighborhood councils are to be formed, the composition of those councils should be decided at the neighborhood level. In the 92 nationally sponsored neighborhoods, the people in those neighborhoods would probably base their neighborhood's governance structure on their national traditions. The people in the eight experimental neighborhoods will come up with neighborhood governance structures that are, I hope, uniquely protoMartian and, from an anthropological point of view, fascinating innovations. Maybe they will choose their leaders via tiddly winks tournaments. ;-)
You asked, "Yes, the 150 person socialization upper limit... what does that work out to? 30 families of 5 people?" Studies of "cohousing" communities have concluded that a community of thirty families is the best size. So I believe that 30 families of 5 people is about right. For planning purposes, we can safely use that number. However, some national neighborhoods may be composed of extended families while other neighborhoods my be composed of nuclear families. The composition of each national neighborhood will left to the discretion of each participating nation.
You asked about "rite of intensification." The Thanksgiving Day feast is an example of a rite of intensification -- an event that reinforces social bonds.
#129 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2004-01-07 22:32:35
jadeheart:
You wrote, "The underlying laws of the universe are rife with such things." Phi is not just another number. It has unique mathematical properties AND its physical manifestations can be seen all around us in nature. After I read Dr. Livio's book about Phi I felt that I had been given a very important tool for understanding the universe.
You wrote, "The strongest force for binding together individuals within a society at the emotional level so far has been religion..." Religion has been referred to as a kind of "social glue" and I agree with that metaphor. The problem with most existing religions is that they are being undermined by science. Every time that a paleoanthropologist digs up the remains of one of our distant ancestors the creation stories of various religions become less believable. Phi could help to restore some of the sticking power of religion because children can see Phi in themselves and in their world. They can directly experience the truth of Phi.
You wrote, "Furthermore, why impose such things on the Martians?" I agree that it would be a mistake to "impose" a Phi-based curriculum or aesthetic tradition of Martians. The people who are selected to live in the experimental neighborhoods of The City of Euthenia should collectively decide how things will be done on Mars.
You should not characterize Phi as "cold mathematics." A child who has NO mathematical skills can appreciate the unique properties of Phi. For example, a teacher could give each of the children in a class a small, rectangular piece of paper that is one unit wide and Phi units long. Each child can be shown how to fold one corner of the paper diagonally to create a smaller rectangle that has the same proportions (one to Phi). Employing scissors, the smaller rectangle can be cut loose and then folded and cut again. Through this hands-on activity, children can see one of the many amazing properties of Phi.
You wrote, "and there's that slight problem of all the OTHER pre-existing religions." I again find that it is necessary for me to explain that I am not proposing that teachings about Phi be used as a replacement for "OTHER pre-existing religions." As I have previously written, a new Phi-based religion would be seen as a competitor and therefore as an enemy of existing religions, and that perception would impede the development of a sense of social solidarity in Euthenia. I believe that Phi can become a supplement to existing religions that, as such, it can promote social solidarity.
#130 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2004-01-07 20:20:17
jadeheart:
You wrote, "If my assumption that the purpose of the Phi concept would be to replace religion as a way of maintaining order and enlivening social cohesion is wrong then I apologize."
I have suggested that Phi should be a part of the curriculum of tax-supported schools in The City of Euthenia. The children of Euthenia would be taught that early scholars referred to Phi as the "Divine Proportion" because those scholars saw manifestations of Phi in nature and concluded that God had used Phi in the creation of the universe. Some children would probably choose to believe the same thing and would incorporate Phi into their own religious beliefs.
I believe that if the people of different religious faiths had Phi in common then the possibility of inter-religious rivalries would be diminished. I have previously pointed out that during the Philadelphia Riots of 1844 Protestants and Catholics beat each other to death in the streets of that city. They were fighting about what would and would not be included in the textbooks used in public schools. I don't want that kind of violence to erupt in Euthenia. I am therefore recommending that adult Euthenians agree, in advance, that children will be taught about Phi and will be encouraged to participate in a Phi-based aesthetic tradition (see examples of Phi-based folk art at http://www.geocities.com/scott956282743/museumindex.htm ).
In summary, I am NOT proposing that Phi should "replace religion." I am proposing that children be taught about Phi and I am predicting that some children will incorporate Phi into their religious beliefs. In that case, Phi could be regarded as a supplement to existing religions, not as a replacement for religion. To the extent that Euthenians incorporate Phi into their religious beliefs, I believe that the possibility of inter-religious violence will be reduced. This reduction is especially important in a place where 10,000 people from very different cultures are living together in small, man-made caverns.
#131 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2004-01-07 18:12:09
Clark:
You wrote, "Yet you admonished me for focusing on the 'legal rights and legal processes' of the society, and instead encouraged me to look at the 'family' aspect of this situation. I will endeavour to look at this anyway you want, but I think there are some 'holes' in this plan."
I agree that there is a "hole" in my plan in that I am NOT advocating a genetic engineering program to make humans physiologically adapted to living in groups of up to 15,000 people. Instead, I am advocating (1) neighborhoods of up to 150 people and (2) a City Council that elects a Chief of Police and several assistants.
We are physiologically adapted to living in groups of up to 150 people and I think that we should take advantage of that fact so that we can minimize the number of police and social workers and thereby minimize tax burdens.
You wrote, "The idea of 'Phi' as a non-denominational and non-ethnic idea/belief that can be used to bridge cultural and social differences is a good piece of the puzzle, I just don't think it should be the center-piece that holds the puzzle together." I agree. The centerpiece should be that children are trained to be good sociocultural systems engineers. For example, children should be taught that humans have vomeronasal organs and that humans secrete pheromones that regulate each others behavior. And in their civics classes, children should study bands, tribes, chiefdoms, and states and they should focus on the social control mechanisms that prevail in those different kinds of societies. That kind of education would prepare children to become members of a Martian settlement's governing body.
You wrote, "Might I suggest that instead of emphasizing Phi in a multi-cultural society, you emphasize mutual respect for the welfare of all individuals." Japanese society provides a good example of a society where the welfare of all individuals is respected. At a baseball game in Japan, the best outcome is an exciting game that ends in a tie score. Japanese urge competitors to do their personal best and eschew the idea of turning some competitors into winners and others into losers. This ideal stands in sharp contrast to the American proposition that "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
You wrote, "Phi just seems to distract." Clark, try to imagine a rite of intensification in the City of NEW Euthenia (located somewhere on Mars). What kind of symbols would be embedded in the centerpieces on the holiday dinner tables? Symbols play an important part in such rites. If Phi is not embedded in those centerpieces then what symbols would be? I am open to suggestions. It should be something simple that children can make (e.g., by cutting colored paper into shapes and pasting the shapes together).
#132 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2004-01-07 18:11:04
Bill:
You asked, "why do you believe you will have any hope of persuading Catholics, secular humanists, Hindus, Buddhists, Rotarians, Unitarians and Rastafarians to unite under the banner of 'Phi?' What does 'Phi' offer that a thousand or ten thousand other 'empty until filled' placeholder symbols also offer?"
I believe that if Catholics, humanists, Hindus, et al, become aware of Phi then they will be astonished at how many places in our natural world they can find manifestations of Phi. Dr. Mario Livio is an astronomer and he works at the Space Telescope Science Institute. He wrote a book titled "The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, The World's Most Astonishing Number." I have read that book and I agree with his assertion that Phi is "astonishing." Take a look at Gary Meisner's web site about Phi -- http://www.GoldenNumber.net Gary has compiled many interesting and amazing Phi facts.
Compare Phi with the Big Bang hypothesis. Phi can be seen in our hands, in the plants in our gardens, in the foods we eat. In contrast, the Big Bang will never be directly experienced by anyone and some people will continue to reject that hypothesis (see "The Big Bang Never Happened," by Eric Lerner). We will never be able to go back to the beginning (assuming there was one) to see whether a God set this universe in motion by a Big Bang or by some other means. But Phi is here and now. We can experience Phi and we can give our children the opportunity to be amazed and inspired by Phi.
I cannot think of any other idea that has as much inspirational power as Phi. Can you?
You asked, "What if the Rastafarians decide they don't like the 'Phi' and want to slice off their slice?" When the members of a Hutterite colony become divided into irreconcilable groups then they plan to have an early branching. To facilitate that, they put more of their resources into building a daughter colony so that the disaffected groups can go their separate ways as soon as possible. I would recommend that Martian settlements adopt the same strategy.
#133 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2004-01-07 14:31:11
Clark:
Your brief description of the social dynamics in an extended family is eerily familiar (so familiar that it made me laugh, nervously).
You wrote, "Once again, I don't see how Phi helps." The Phi-based aesthetic tradition that I have proposed is NOT intended to facilitate intra-family harmony. The City of Euthenia would be composed of groups of people from all over the world. The people in those groups will have their own aesthetic and religious traditions. I believe that by weaving Phi into the traditions of the City, those civic traditions could be gradually incorporated into the "national" traditions of the people who live in the City's national neighborhoods. To the extent that Phi does gradually seep into those national traditions, Phi can act as a bridge that facilitates understanding, cooperation, and political unity.
If all of the people in The City of Euthenia were going to be members of the same ethnic group (e.g., Caucasian Baptists) then I would NOT be proposing that the City have an overarching, Phi-based aesthetic tradition.
#134 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2004-01-05 20:29:55
Clark:
Modern societies are composed of millions of people and are extraordinarily complex. Such societies have written laws which specify what people may, shall, and shall not do.
Throughout most of human history, there were no laws and writing had not been invented. Peoples interactions with each other were regulated primarily by their emotions.
Our capacity to respond emotionally is hard-wired into us but each society builds on that capacity in a different way. I imagine The City of Euthenia as being a place where the City Council is composed of people who understand human physiology and behavior and who apply that knowledge to the task of managing the affairs of the City. They will not be thinking in terms of "legal rights." They will be trying to engineer a social environment where people can work together productively to achieve a common goal (i.e., building a daughter city on Mars).
You gave the example of an over-worked widowed engineer who has two teenage children. I cannot imagine that the City Council of the City of NEW Euthenia (located somewhere on Mars) would allow such a situation to develop. Every member of the City Council would know that critical personnel cannot regularly work 16-hour days. But if a 16-hour day was demanded once in a long while it would not have a negative impact on the supervision of the worker's children. The other adult members of the neighborhood that the worker lives in would automatically come together to fill in any supervision gaps. That is the way small societies work.
I have conducted fieldwork in small societies so I do not have difficulty in imagining how people would behave in Euthenia. If you have not lived in or studied small societies then I can understand why you focus on legal rights and legal processes -- that is probably what you studied in your civics classes in high school.
Instead of looking at Euthenia from a legal perspective, try looking at it from a family perspective. Each neighborhood in Euthenia will develop into an extended family. Children will not be neglected the way that they sometimes are in huge, "anonymous" societies. And children will not be able to go "wilding" in Euthenia's Central Park the way that some did in New York's Central Park.
#135 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2004-01-03 18:14:43
Bill:
You asked, "How does your system help each individual member of your society better understand themselves and the cosmos we all live in? Is Phi actually true (IYHO) or merely a lie to facilitate social harmony?"
The number Phi can be calculated by adding the square root of 5 to 1 and then dividing that sum by 2. The result is an irrational number: 1.618033988749...
The reciprocal of Phi is 0.618033988749... and Phi squared is 2.618033988749... These interesting relationships are true ONLY for Phi. And Phi has dozens of other really amazing phenomena connected to it. A sample of amazing Phi phacts have been collected by Gary Meisner. See his web site at http://www.GoldenNumber.net This site includes data and a hypothesis about the shape of the universe. Scientists have hypothesized that the universe has the shape of a dodecahedron (12 regular pentagons fitted together). As you will see. Phi and 5 and pentagons are found together in various natural phenomena, including us.
I believe that Phi can transcend cultural boundaries and help to unite people to work for a common goal. That is why I have proposed that Phi be a principal component of the aesthetic tradition of The City of Euthenia.
I have started to assemble my Phi-based art into a Museum of PtotoMartian Folk Art. I am not ready to announce the Grand Opening of the museum but you can take a pre-opening peek at http://www.geocities.com/scott956282743/museumindex.htm
#136 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2004-01-02 22:33:26
Clark:
You asked, "If individuals within the city don't control their population rate, say a specific sect, or minority, whose basic principles hold that their reproduction rate must not be controlled in any way, what happens? How might you, Emperor of Mars, resolve something like this?"
The Emperor of Mars would warn profligate propagators that, unlike the Emperor, they are mortal and that they are therefore subject to the twin forces of famine and plague. The Emperor would say something pompous like, "Woe comes to those who disregard the wisdom of their own Sociocultural Development Plan." And if they disregarded the Emperor and begin building weapons so that they can attack neighboring settlements and take their food then the Emperor would have to order Imperial Stormtroopers to preemptively invade and annihilate the miscreants.
And you asked, "What are the alternatives, how will Euthenia city/society cope with non-traditional family units? Will non-traditional family types be ostracized, or discriminated against via social pressure?"
I do not know whether the Euthenians will allow polygamy, polyandry, group marriage, sexual communism, the "civil union" of homosexuals, and other "non-traditional" family arrangements. I am inclined to leave such matters to the City Council and the City Council might just decide to leave such matters to the discretion of each neighborhood.
And you asked, "So people who know one another, who all live in close proximity to one another, will take away each others children, when warranted? Surrounded by vacuum." This one really bothers me because I have seen this happen via local television news broadcasts. Just outside of a courtroom, immediately after a hearing in that court, a city social worker, acting in accordance with a court order, takes a screaming/crying child from its mother. That is a horrific scene but that is the way modern societies work. The alternative is to allow the children in dysfunctional homes to become uneducated, unemployable hoodlums who terrorize other citizens. I anticipate that Martian settlements will have laws that require parents to discipline their children and that such laws will be rigorously enforced. I believe that such laws will be rigorously enforced precisely because those settlements are surrounded by a vacuum. A society that lives so close to catastrophe cannot take the chance of allowing negligent parents to turn their children into juvenile delinquents.
I have seen news reports about recent prosecutions of parents whose children were repeatedly truant from school. One mother spent several days in jail. That is a less drastic social control mechanism than taking children from their parents. I hope that after these jailed parents are released from jail they begin to take their parental responsibilities more seriously.
#137 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2004-01-02 14:03:27
Clark:
You asked, "How do you propose to control the population size in The City of Euthenia? How will the City prevent over-population?" In a prototype Martian settlement located on Earth, population growth would not be a critical issue. However, in a real Martian settlement the rate of population growth would have to be carefully monitored. I suppose that the City Council of The City of NEW Euthenia (the first Martian settlement) would adopt a plan that targets a particular population growth rate and fixes a date for the completion of a daughter settlement. The people of New Euthenia would have to decide how many hours per week they want to invest in the construction of a daughter settlement and then control their own reproduction rate so that their settlement population will be ready to divide in two when the daughter settlement is completed.
Hutterite settlements build daughter settlements and divide every 15 to 20 years. With our current technologies, it would probably take 30 to 40 years for a Martian settlement to build a daughter settlement for 10,000 people. However, if we are able to build robots that can cast stone into building blocks and then assemble those blocks into neighborhood domes and street grids, a Martian settlement might be able to produce a daughter settlement every 20 years.
And you asked, "So you envision Father's being the primary decision maker, and enforcer of rules and punishment, for the family unit?" Yes, this is how marriage traditionally works.
And you asked, "What will the City do to ensure that Mothers and Fathers are fulfilling their vital and integral roles? Isn't there a necessity for social control mechanisms to ensure that Mothers and Fathers comply, and execute their roles appropriately?" What a city usually does when parents fail to fulfill their parental duties is to terminate the parental rights of those parents and then place their children into foster homes. I believe that The City of Euthenia and actual Martian settlements will have similar social control mechanisms.
Clark, you wrote, "Perhaps tone down the language related to creating a pagan religion, it may turn some people off, and generally puts people on guard." I have proposed that, in order to promote political unity, the curriculum of the Euthenia city schools include the study of Phi. Students would learn that early scholars referred to Phi as the "Divine Proportion" and that those scholars believed that God had used Phi in the creation of the universe. Students who learn about Phi might decide, as a purely personally matter, to believe the same thing. I am NOT proposing that Phi be the foundation for a new religion because that would probably be destructive. People who subscribe to existing religions would see a new, Phi-based religion as a competitor and therefore as an enemy, and that would NOT promote political unity. If Phi were thought of as the Divine Proportion by Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews, etc., then Phi could function as a bridge between these religious traditions and that would tend to defuse any inter-religious tensions that might develop. Mortar holds bricks together and, to the extent that Phi is regarded as the Divine Proportion, Phi could hold different ethnic groups together.
#138 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2004-01-01 22:04:09
Bill:
You wrote, "But then Robert Zubrin's 'Libertarians Unite' message ain't doing so well either."
Is Zubrin a Libertarian? I agree with the Libertarian call for honest weights and measures and, in particular, I believe that the U.S. dollar should be defined as a weight or volume of fine gold. I also agree with the Libertarian preference for small government. However, given the current state of our technology, the Martian ecosystem will require Martian settlers to be more socialistic that the Libertarian ideal.
Where I differ with Libertarians is on the broader issue of social control mechanisms. I believe that social control is going to be exercised one way or another. If government is going to be minimized then families must be strengthened. Families must be headed by fathers who provide moral leadership by being good examples for their children. And mothers must be good examples by honoring their vows to obey their husbands and they MUST be able to send shivers up the spines of their adolescent sons by saying, "You just wait until your father hears about this!" If social control is not exercised effectively in these ways then Martian settlements will need more police officers and more jail cells and higher taxes to support those kinds of social control mechanisms.
In another section of this forum I wrote about the "Magic Number" -- 150. Social scientists regard this as the maximum size of a human social network. We seem to have evolved to live in groups about this size. Informal social control can be exercised effectively in groups of up to 150 and that is why I have proposed that a prototype Martian settlement (The City of Euthenia) should be composed of neighborhoods of about 100 people. I am anticipating that neighborhood populations will fluctuate between 75 and 150 as the population of a Martian settlement grows and then divides in two to found a new settlement a few dozen kilometers away from the original settlement. (This settlement pattern works well for the Hutterites.)
In a settlement composed of 100 neighborhoods, the total population would fluctuate between 7,500 and 15,000. I believe that this is a large enough population to support a complex civilization while not being so large as to require lots of government employees (and correspondingly high taxes). Is this social design and development pattern something that Libertarians could agree with?
#139 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2004-01-01 17:14:56
Stu:
I think you are right about the need for a mechanism to insure that lottery winners have at least some of "the right stuff." The winners should have the option to auction off, under the supervision of the lottery commission, their winning ticket. This would allow people who are not really interested in Mars to gracefully bow out of The Euthenia Project.
The people who are chosen, by lottery or otherwise, to live an a nation's neighborhood in The City of Euthenia should have to pass medical and skills tests. Keep in mind that this city will need people who can fill the roles of machinist, trolley driver, electrician, fire fighter, mason, police officer, janitor, secretary, etc. It would not make sense to try to put "the right stuff" (i.e., military test pilots) into these mundane roles.
The people in national neighborhoods will select two or three families to live in the city's "experimental neighborhoods." Those people will have to have "the right stuff" in the sense that they will have to be able to live and work with people from dozens of different nations, and they will have to accept that they or their sons or daughters may be chosen to be the first Martian explorers and settlers. The people who live in the experimental neighborhoods will, in this sense, be the city's "elite" members.
I composed another piece of protoMartian folk art. See it at http://www.geocities.com/scott956282743/phiderived.htm If you would like to learn more about Phi I recommend www.goldennumber.net and "The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, The World's Most Astonishing Number," by Mario Livio. I believe that Phi is a good candidate for the foundation of protoMartian folk art because it is politically neutral idea. Phi is in all of our fingers, regardless of which society or culture we currently belong to.
I am going to start assembling my Phi-based art into a Museum of ProtoMartian Folk Art. At some future point, you could invite school children and other prototypical Martians to send their art to me and I will add it to the Museum.
#140 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2003-12-30 19:53:26
Stuart:
I have strong reservations about taking the "art" out of your name because art is what separates us from the chimps and gorillas. However, if you prefer...
Stu:
You wrote, "I simply can't, and won't, walk into a class of innocents and tell those wide-eyed kids that when they grow up they could all be living on Mars like the kids in Little House because they won't, it's just not going to happen, and that's not me being defeatist it's me being realistic." I completely agree with you on this but I think that you have misunderstood what I am proposing. I am proposing that we build a prototype Martian settlement on Earth. That settlement could and should be filled with ordinary people rather than with an elite group of people who have "the right stuff." A nation might conduct a lottery to raise money for and to select the people who will live in its "national neighborhood" in The City of Euthenia. If Britain conducted that kind of a lottery, would you buy a ticket or two?
It might take us 100 terrestrial years to construct a self-sufficient sociocultural system that can maintain and replicate itself on Mars. That would be fine with me -- Mars will still be there in 2104.
The Mars Movement needs an aesthetic tradition and a museum of protoMartian folk arts. I have proposed that prototypical Martians adopt an aesthetic tradition based on Phi, "the world's most astonishing number." Perhaps I should put a "Museum of ProtoMartian Arts" into my plan for The City of Euthenia. If I did, would you encourage school children to create Phi-based art and to contribute images of it to a virtual museum?
#141 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2003-12-29 21:40:45
Stuart:
A major problem with the goal of finding past or present life on Mars is that this goal excludes ordinary people from participation. In contrast, my proposal can include ordinary people all around the world. For example, when you give presentations to classes of school children, you could invite them to participate in the creation of a prototypical Martian civilization. You could invite them to imagine that they live in The City of Euthenia and you could suggest that they apply their artistic and writing skills to the task of helping to create the art and folklore of that city. You could invite them to plant the seed of a new civilization.
In another section of this forum, I have posted links to "Martian Stars" that I recently drew. Those stars are derived from templates that contain the Golden Ratio (Phi). An endless number of such designs is possible. And, with the assistance of Clark (of this forum) I designed a flag for The City of Euthenia. That flag is full of Phi relationships.
I have also posted a Martian Myth that provides a cosmogony and a destiny for Euthenia. That myth could be the foundation for a dramatic presentation.
As the "Emperor of Mars," I have ordained a means of saluting the flag of the Provisional Government of Mars. The features of that flag are specified in a "Constitution of the Provisional Government of Mars," which I wrote.
I have had a lot of FUN designing these parts and pieces of a new civilization. I believe that school children all over this planet could be invited to share in that fun. I also believe that inviting ordinary people, especially children, to apply their artistic and literary talents to the task of designing a new civilization is the best strategy for generating a sustained effort to explore and settle Mars.
The search for native life on Mars is an important goal but I cannot participate in that search and neither can most people. The Mars Movement needs a strategy that is more inclusive than the search for past or present Martian life. The Euthenia Project is a good strategy for generating a sustained effort to explore and settle Mars because that project can include ordinary people all around this planet. And, most importantly, The Euthenia Project can be lots of FUN. In this regard, I speak from personal experience.
#142 Re: Civilization and Culture » Martian Star - Based on Phi and the Golden Rectangle » 2003-12-29 18:26:49
Cobra:
Take a look at this symmetrical Martian Star. Given its proportions, it should not appear "too Christian."
http://www.geocities.com/scott956282743 … nstar5.htm
Scott
#143 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A New Vision for Mars - Include Ordinary People and Their Kids » 2003-12-28 18:05:59
In an article titled "Lost Mars," Stuart Atkinson wrote, "Unless something changes, soon, we are not going to live to see people walk on Mars. We are going to lose Mars." He asserts that what we "need, desperately [is] A Reason to Go" to Mars. He suggests that we adopt the search for extraterrestrial life as THE reason to go to Mars. I disagree.
Mr. Atkinson wrote that Mars "is not a realistic destination for them [ordinary people], or for their kids." I believe that this is THE problem. We could solve this problem by adopting a Mars exploration and settlement strategy that makes Mars a realistic destination for ordinary people. We can do that by initiating an exploration and settlement program that includes ordinary people and their children.
Imagine that ordinary people from all over this world are coming together in one place to work out the details of how humans can travel to and live on Mars. Imagine that those people are building the spacecraft that will take explorers and settlers to Mars. That kind of vision can unite people all around this planet to support the exploration and settlement of Mars. That is the kind of vision that my Mars exploration and settlement proposal is based on. See http://www.geocities.com/scott956282743/euthenia.htm
#144 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » The Magic Number is 150 - Maximum Size of Human Social Networks » 2003-12-28 14:24:33
The December 20, 2003 issue of New Scientist magazine contains an article titled "The Magic Number." Anthropologist Meredith F. Small, the author of that article, notes that, "Modern hunters and gatherers typically live in clans of about 150 members (although they can range from 90 to 200)." In that article, she quotes Robin Dunbar, who has stated that, "Hutterite communities in the United States split in two when they reach 150 because they claim they can't control the group by peer pressure alone when it goes beyond that number."
I have proposed the construction of a prototype Martian settlement named The City of Euthenia. That city would have 100 neighborhoods, each of which would contain about 100 people, and the total population of the city would therefore be about 10,000.
I designed these neighborhoods so that their residents could control their members by peer pressure. The alternative to this is the establishment of governance systems that require police, prosecutors, judges, juries, jails, wardens, probation officers, parole boards, etc.
I have proposed that the Euthenia City Council be composed of one representative from each neighborhood. The City Council would therefore have 100 members. The Council would probably appoint a Sheriff and a few deputies and there would probably be one or two jail cells in the Sheriff's office.
These social designs are based on my assumption that humans are adapted to having social networks of up to 150 people. I believe that if we stay within this limit then we will be able to minimize the extent to which we rely on force to maintain a social order in which people can live in peace and security.
My plan for The City of Euthenia is posted on the web at http://www.geocities.com/scott956282743 A link to the Hutterite communities web site is included on the "Links" section.
#145 Re: Civilization and Culture » Martian Star - Based on Phi and the Golden Rectangle » 2003-12-27 19:51:40
I drew what I call a "Martian Star." That drawing is posted on the web at http://www.geocities.com/scott956282743/martianstar.htm
The star is based on a figure known as a Golden Rectangle. Such a rectangle has the proportions Phi (1.618033...) by 1.
Merry Christmas.
#146 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Politics, Religion & Social Stability - A Supplementary Religion for Mars » 2003-12-26 02:49:39
In a previous message, Rxke asked, "Where do you draw the line?"
As a personal matter, I "draw the line" between naturalism and superanturalism and I stay firmly on the naturalism side of that line. However, 99 percent of the people on this planet are on the other side of that line; they are supernaturalists. As a sociocultural systems engineer, I have to be cognizant of that very important fact.
Religious differences are too often the spark that turns a tense situation into a violent conflict. In order to minimize the possibility of violence, I have proposed that the adults of The City of Euthenia agree that their children will be taught about Phi. To the extent that Phi serves as an intellectual and emotional bridge between the many different cultures in the city, the potential for violent conflict will be lower (I hope).
#147 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Politics, Religion & Social Stability - A Supplementary Religion for Mars » 2003-12-25 03:03:44
Posted in New Mars Forum in response to BMK:
I believe that we will export Earth holidays to Mars.
I have proposed the construction of a prototype Martian settlement that would gradually build a daughter settlement on Mars. The prototype settlement would be populated by people from dozens of different nations. Those people would bring their own religious traditions and holidays to the prototype settlement and, even though they would be enculturated for Martian immigration, they would probably continue to practice their respective religious traditions, including the observance of religious holidays.
I have also proposed that prototypical Martians, whatever their religious traditions might be, should agree to teach their children a set of ideas that could function as a supplementary religion. Those ideas would be taught for the primary purpose of promoting political unity.
The children of the settlement could be taught about Phi and could be shown how Phi manifests its presence in the natural world. If these children conclude that God (whatever they conceive God to be) did use Phi in the design and creation of the universe then they might incorporate Phi into their religious beliefs. And then they might create new religious traditions, including a holiday that celebrates the discovery of Phi. For example, the City Council of the City of New Euthenia might adopt an ordinance that declares the 162nd day of the Martian year as PhiDay. On that day, a member of the settlement could dress up as Leonardo Fibonacci and, during a special meeting of the City Council, Fibonacci could be presented with a ceremonial "Key to the City." And then the Mayor would proclaim, "Let the games begin," at which point a whole day full of peculiarly Martian events would ensue. For example, given the 0.38 percent gravity of Mars, four people might rapidly pull up a pole in order to catapult a fifth person into a swimming pool. A panel of judges might award points based on the gracefulness of the splashdown, or for the loudness of a perfectly flat landing (a belly-flop; ouch). This event might be known as the Martian Baptism.
My prototype Martian settlement proposal is posted on the web at http://www.geocities.com/scott956282743
#148 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Prototypical Martian Home - What Would Your Home Look Like? » 2003-12-04 13:17:44
I have drawn a vertical cross-section of how one of the neighborhood domes in a prototype Martian settlement might be constructed. That drawing can be accessed by clicking the link on the second footnote on the web page at http://www.geocities.com/scott956282743/euthenia.htm
I began drafting a Martian exploration and settlement plan by providing a political and financial foundation. That foundation is in my essay about The Problem of Owning Mars (see http://www.geocities.com/scott956282743 ). My essay includes a Constitution of the Provisional Government of Mars. The Provisional Government can give settlers the authority to establish municipal governments, which can in turn enact laws that allow settlers to own to land, homes, and businesses on Mars.
The Constitution provides for a Mars Development Bank. Acting in accordance with the Constitution, the Bank will organize an international consortium to explore and settle Mars. This would include building prototype Martian stations and settlements.
I recently drafted a site plan and operating outline for a prototype Martian settlement. I refer to that prototype by the name The City of Euthenia. (Euthenia was the Greek goddess of prosperity and plenty. Her image is found on the coins of ancient Mediterranean civilizations.) The city plan includes 100 neighborhood domes, which will each house about 100 people, yielding a total population of about 10,000.
Now that I have drawn a cross-section of a neighborhood dome I can address how the people in a neighborhood might relate to each other. How might Martian families be organized? This organization could be manifested in the architecture of the ?Residential? area of a neighborhood. What would the home of a prototypical Martian family look like? If you were going to design a home on the Residential level of a neighborhood dome, what features would you include in that design?
#149 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Flag to Unite Terrans for Mars - Golden Ratio and Human Color Vision » 2003-11-29 02:38:41
Shaun:
I tried reversing the Space and Earth colors as you suggested. That did not work very well because a yellow Sun in an ocean of green just did not provide enough contrast to make the Sun stand out the way it should.
I changed the relative sizes of the rings representing Earth and Mars. The diameters of those rings are now in a Golden Ratio (Phi to one). The horizontal center of Mars is a bit above the horizontal center of Earth. This represents the fact that the orbit of Mars is slightly inclined to the plane of the ecliptic.
Clark:
I changed the sun as you suggested. The nine triangles around the sun are Golden Triangles; i.e., they are isosceles triangles and they each have a 36-degree apex angle and 72-degree base angles.
I also made the blue background a little darker.
See these revisions at http://www.geocities.com/scott956282743/euthenia.htm
#150 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Politics, Religion & Social Stability - A Supplementary Religion for Mars » 2003-11-28 13:22:16
Hazer:
I wrote, ?It appears to me that you enter these forums in order to haze people. Is that your intent? Is it your intent to ?harass by banter, ridicule, or criticism?? Is that what you intend to convey by using the name Hazer??
You responded, ?Scott is a brand of toilet paper, G. could stand for ?Gay?..."
You have made it quite clear that you intend to live up to your name. You are a hazer. Furthermore, you lack the courage to admit that you are a hazer. You are a petty coward.