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#151 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Countries Without Armed Forces » 2017-03-08 10:10:17

Terraformer wrote:

I'm still not understanding what Scott actually wants.

Terraformer: I have a B.A. in Social Science with a primary concentration in Economics.  I want Terrans to recognize a regime that can establish a land tenure system on Mars.  On that legal foundation, entrepreneurs can go into capital markets and raise billions of dollars for infrastructure projects that will support the efforts of other entrepreneurs to build habitations and greenhouses and pizza parlors, etc.

The Terran recognition might be in the form of (1) an amendment to the Outer Space Treaty or (2) a vote of the United Nations General Assembly or (3) a new U.N.-sponsored treaty that has the support of more than 100 nations.  That kind of legal foundation would provide a foundation for entrepreneurial efforts to settle Mars.

I want the Martian regime to be very accommodating to Hutterites.  The Hutterites are the fastest growing human population on Earth (on average, 10 children are produced by each married couple).  They have achieved utopia in the sense that homicides never occur in their "colonies" (60 to 160 people).  They are pacifists; they have no military weapons.  Hutterites are good neighbors.

#152 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Countries Without Armed Forces » 2017-03-07 17:45:14

kbd512 wrote:

Focus on things that actually matter.

“Good title is a title that is legally valid or effective. It is a valid and a marketable title. Not merely a title which is valid in fact, but a marketable title which can again be sold to a reasonable purchaser, or mortgaged to a person of reasonable prudence as security for the loan of money.”

     https://definitions.uslegal.com/g/good-title/

At present, there is no way for private citizens to obtain “good title” to land on Mars.  I have proposed that an internationally recognized “Constitution of Mars” be adopted.  An alternative method of making it possible for people to acquire good title to land on Mars could be for the United States to withdraw from the Outer Space Treaty and to then claim all or some portion of Mars as the sovereign territory of the United States.

People are not going to be able to go into U.S. capital markets and raise billions of dollars to build structures on Mars unless they are able to show that they have good title to the land.  Having military weapons, including nuclear weapons, and threatening to kill people with such weapons, does not establish good title.  People who try to obtain good title that way will not be regarded as real estate developers; they will only be regarded as thieves and extortionists and outlaws.

#153 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Countries Without Armed Forces » 2017-03-06 17:15:39

kbd512 wrote:

...nuclear weapons will eventually find their way to Mars...

More than 90 states have become parties to the Outer Space Treaty.

     https://www.state.gov/t/isn/5181.htm

Do you expect those parties to just stand around and watch while people are busy transforming Mars into a base for missiles that can carry nuclear warheads?  Are you old enough to remember what happened during the “Cuban Missile Crisis”? 

#154 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Ensign of the Royal Observatory of Mars » 2017-03-06 08:43:02

Terraformer wrote:

Does your micronation have a website?

No, but I suppose that a group of ProtoMartians could establish a "Royal Observatory of Mars" on Earth and start naming stars after ProtoMartian children.  The Observatory could post star charts on a website.  The charts could show which stars had been named for ProtoMartian children.  So we could start building a “micronation”.

#155 Martian Politics and Economy » Ensign of the Royal Observatory of Mars » 2017-03-05 19:43:54

Scott Beach
Replies: 2

I have designed an “ensign”, an alternative Flag of Mars.

See https://www.docdroid.net/wFuUOJH/

The ensign includes two Kepler triangles, a rusty red orb, representing the planet Mars, and a golden arrow.  According to Martian legend, the Greek goddess Artemis gifted one of her golden arrows to the Citizens of Mars.  The "Golden Arrow of Artemis" reminds Martians that their descendants are destined to travel to the stars.

The ensign will, in accordance with Martian law, be flown at the Royal Observatory of Mars.  The Observatory’s telescope will be focused on the same place in the Martian sky that a Golden Arrow of Artemis is pointing (the arrow will be pointing straight up, toward the zenith).

Martian law will provide that when a child is born on Mars a star or other celestial body within the view of the telescope shall be named after that child.

#156 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » Countries Without Armed Forces » 2017-03-05 10:01:21

RobertDyck wrote:

Will someone try to invade and conquer Mars? Will Mars need a military to defend against that?

No; Terrestrial nations will not "try to invade and conquer Mars".

Martians should not allow irrational fear to drive them into an "arms race".  Martians should not waste trillions of dollars on military weapons.

Sending civilians (i.e., families) and settlement technologies to Mars will be much more expensive than sending soldiers and killing technologies to Mars.  Sending an army to invade Mars would be just silly.

#157 Martian Politics and Economy » Countries Without Armed Forces » 2017-03-03 19:21:56

Scott Beach
Replies: 32

Wikipedia contains a page titled “List of countries without armed forces”.
 
     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_c … med_forces

"The constitution [of Costa Rica] has forbidden a standing military since 1949. It does have a public security force, whose role includes law enforcement and internal security. For this reason Costa Rica is the headquarters for the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and also the United Nations' University for Peace."  Ibid.

Will Mars have armed forces?  Will some Martians possess nuclear weapons and threaten to use nuclear weapons to attack other Martians and Terrans too?  Or will Mars have a constitution that prohibits armies and military weapons?

In my view, people who believe that they must have access to military weapons should stay on Earth.  Do not emigrate to Mars.

Please feel at liberty to disagree.

#158 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-03-03 09:57:58

Void wrote:

I don't trust you.  The answer is no.

Void: Is your "no" an answer to a particular question?  It would help if you used question marks (?) at the end of your questions.  It is very difficult for me to tell the difference between your exposition and your inquiries.  I do not know what you want in the way of an answer.

I do not regard my response to the Outer Space Treaty as an "extension" of the treaty.  I am proposing that the parties to the treaty adopt an exception to the treaty provision that precludes claims of sovereignty.  I am analyzing the political situation at the United Nations and I am trying to make a request that the parties to the treaty will be likely to grant.  I proposed religious and economic pluralism because I believe that the parties will want to see those features in a "Constitution of Mars".

In a novel titled The Songs of Distant Earth, Arthur C. Clarke wrote, "It is possible to build a rational and humane culture completely free from the threat of supernatural restraints".  I believe that this is true.  I believe that the people of a planet can learn to use science-based techniques to build prosperous and peaceful societies.  They do not need the threat of an all-seeing policeman in the sky to maintain a social order.  The Government of Mars can be a secular government.

#159 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-03-02 17:49:19

Void wrote:

Now we have Martians who are "Self Governing", but Earth though an extended outer space treaty will make sure they cannot have weapons of significance.

The news of this day includes China’s angry response to a plan to put U.S. missiles into South Korea.

     http://www.reuters.com/article/us-south … SKBN16709W

Like it or not, we have to deal with the nonarmanent provisions of the Outer Space Treaty.  I made a reasonable proposal to respond to those provisions.   

Costa Rica eliminated its military many years ago.  See “Costa Rica's peace dividend: How abolishing the military paid off”

     http://articles.latimes.com/2013/dec/15 … n-20131208

What worked for Costa Rica can work for Mars.

#160 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-03-02 14:46:23

elderflower wrote:

Any body with a ballistic weapon may make a hole in the hab. This might not have good results.

Discharging a “ballistic weapon” inside of a pressurized habitat can have disastrous results.

I had an uncle who worked for about 25 years as a city police officer.  He never had to draw his pistol out of its holster while he was on duty.  I hope that a similar situation will prevail on Mars.

In a situation where someone must be stopped, a tranquilizer dart from an air rifle might be a viable option.  And there are rifle-like devices that can shoot a net onto a person.  And while a taser can kill a person, it does not usually cause death or serious injury.

These alternatives will be considered by proto-Martians and, eventually, by the Citizens of Mars.

#161 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-03-02 12:26:09

Void: In accordance with my revised “Constitution of Mars”, the Government of Mars would be operating under the supervision of the United Nations Security Council.  The Council is unlikely to deem physicians’ scalpels and box cutters as military weapons.

The members of the Security Council will want to be assured that Mars is not going to become a threat to international and interplanetary peace.  I believe that the Council would not be too concerned if police officers on Mars carry revolvers but if they carry semi-automatic pistols then that might cause some concern among members of the Council.  This is the sort of issue that should be discussed by proto-Martians and eventually considered by parties to the Outer Space Treaty.

We should work together to draft amendments to the Outer Space Treaty that will be acceptable to the parties to that treaty and that will allow Martians to govern themselves.

#162 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-03-01 22:19:23

According to the U.S. Department of State, the Outer Space Treaty is a “nonarmament” treaty.  The text of the treaty may be found at https://www.state.gov/t/isn/5181.htm

The United States of America is a party to the Outer Space Treaty.  If we want the parties to that treaty to amend it so that permanent human settlements can be established on Mars then we must recognize that the Outer Space Treaty is fundamentally about arms control.

I have drafted a “Constitution of Mars” that addresses international arms-control concerns.  I have also drafted a “cover letter” to President Trump.
__________

Dear President Trump:

The “Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies” became effective on October 10, 1967.  That treaty is commonly referred to as the “Outer Space Treaty”.

Article XV of the Outer Space Treaty provides that “Any State Party to the Treaty may propose amendments to” the Treaty.  The United States of America is a party to the Outer Space Treaty and may propose amendments to the Treaty.

We believe that the Outer Space Treaty should be amended in a way that provides a legal foundation for the establishment of permanent human settlements on Mars.  We hereby request that the United States of America propose amendments to the Outer Space Treaty.  We request that the United States of America and other parties to the Outer Space Treaty ratify the “Constitution of Mars” (that constitution is appended below) and designate the Constitution of Mars as “Amendment A” of the Treaty.

Sincerely,
__________

Constitution of Mars

Purpose.  We, the undersigned, have executed this agreement for the purpose of establishing a government that will exercise dominion over the planet Mars. 

Names.  This agreement shall be known as the “Constitution of Mars” and may be hereinafter referred to as the “Constitution”.  The government established by the Constitution shall be known as the “Government of Mars” and that government may be hereinafter referred to as the “Government”.

Military Weapons.  The “Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies” provides that “The Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used by all States Parties to the Treaty exclusively for peaceful purposes. The establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications, the testing of any type of weapons and the conduct of military maneuvers on celestial bodies shall be forbidden.”

The Government of Mars shall not establish military bases, installations or fortifications on Mars or on any other celestial body.  The Government shall not make, acquire, or test military weapons. The Government shall not conduct military maneuvers on Mars or on any other celestial body.

Moons of Mars.  Mars has two moons.  The larger of those two moons shall be known as “Liberty” and the smaller moon shall be known as “Happiness”.

[Author’s note: Names that designate the moons of Mars as the personifications of “terror” and “horror” are not good names for a planet that does not and will not possess military weapons.  The alternative names “Liberty” and “Happiness” are derived from the phrase “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.  That phrase is in the United States Declaration of Independence.]

Secular Government.  The Government of Mars shall not require persons to believe in supernatural beings or forces; nor shall the Government prohibit such beliefs.  The Government may be described as a “secular government”.

The Government may enact laws that provide for the establish of a “Religious Displays Corporation” and that provide for the appointment or election of the members of the Corporation’s governing body.  The Corporation may maintain places where associations of religious Citizens can temporarily display religious scenes and symbols.  Such places may be adjacent to the lands and offices of the Government; however, such proximity shall not be construed as a Government endorsement of any religious practices or beliefs.  The Corporation shall adopt bylaws which ensure that religious minorities have equitable opportunities to display religious scenes and symbols. 

Commencement of Operations.  The Government shall begin exercising dominion over Mars when two or more of the parties to this agreement are living on Mars and have declared that they are Citizens of Mars.

Motto.  The motto of the Government of Mars is: “That government is best which governs least, because its people discipline themselves”.

[Author’s note: this motto is borrowed from https://www.monticello.org/site/jeffers … -quotation ]

Scientocracy.  The laws and policies of the Government of Mars shall, to the greatest possible extent, be based on experimentally verifiable data.  The Government may be described as a “scientocracy”.

Behaviorology.  Behavioral science is based on the theory that the behavior of an organism is determined by its physiology, its history of reinforcement and punishment, and its current environment.  A human can use techniques based on that theory to shape his or her own behaviors.  The members of a human society can, by the politically coordinated application of behavior shaping techniques, establish and maintain a society that closely approximates a perfect society, a utopia.

The Citizens of Mars shall continuously endeavor to establish “a more perfect Union” and, in proportion with their success, the Government of Mars might become the best and the least expensive government in the Solar System.

[Author’s note: The phrase “a more perfect Union” is borrowed from the Preamble of the United States Constitution.]

Social Control System.  The children of Mars shall be taught how to use behavior shaping techniques to shape their own and each others behaviors.  The Government may enact laws that prescribe and regulate the teaching of behavior shaping techniques.

Economic Pluralism.  The Government shall enact laws that accommodate people who, like the Hutterites, prefer to live communally and practice a “community of goods”.  The Government shall also enact laws that accommodate people who prefer to live in socialistic societies, like Sweden.  The Government shall also enact laws that accommodate people who prefer to live in capitalistic societies, like the United States of America.   

[Author’s Note: The Hutterite “community of goods” is explained at http://www.hutterites.org/our-beliefs/community-goods/ ]

United Nations Ambassador.  The Citizens of Mars may elect and remove an Ambassador of Mars, who shall represent the Government of Mars at the United Nations.

Amendments.  The Constitution of Mars may be amended by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Citizens of Mars; however, amendments shall not become effective until they are ratified by the United Nations Security Council.

The ProtoMartians.  Prior to the “Commencement of Operations”, as provided above, we shall operate under the State of Nevada “Revised Uniform Unincorporated Nonprofit Association Act of 2008” ( http://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-081. … S081Sec700 ).  We shall be collectively known as “The ProtoMartians”.  We may adopt and amend bylaws that provide for the management of our association.

[Author’s note: Background information about the Revised Uniform Unincorporated Nonprofit Association Act may be found at http://www.uniformlaws.org/Narrative.as … opt+RUUNAA ]

Signatures:

#163 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-02-27 18:47:22

RobertDyck wrote:

Details like social organization or religion would be left to individual communities/towns/cities. That means stuff that Scott Beach proposes could be done in one individual town.

To keep things simple, there might be one Religious Displays Corporation, which has a principal office located in the capital city of Mars.  The Corporation could, by resolution, vest in each municipal (city) government the authority to adopt an ordinance that allows the city to establish a Religious Displays Council.  Each Council could adopt a religious displays schedule for the coming year.  Each schedule would become effective at the beginning of the coming year.  However, the Religious Displays Corporation would be empowered to protect the rights of religious minorities and might veto and revise a schedule that appears to be unfair.  Hopefully, this sort of veto and revision would not happen very often.  But the fact that it could happen will make religious majorities respect the rights of religious minorities.

#164 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-02-27 15:02:37

The Regents of the University of California is a nonprofit California corporation.  The Regents was organized as a corporation in order to prevent the faculty and curriculum of the University of California (a public trust) from becoming political footballs.

The State Bar of California is a public corporation, and a controversy related to that corporation went all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States.

The placement of Nativity scenes on state capitol grounds has been an issue that has been heard in courts of law in numerous states.  Lets avoid all of that silly litigation.  Let a publicly regulated private corporation handle the displays.

Jefferson thought that there should be a high wall of separation between church and state.  I agree.  Sometimes it is wise to not have the government directly involved in an issue.  The Government of Mars can appoint Hindus and Moslems and Jews and Christians, etc. to the corporation’s board of directors and those directors will have to compromise and peacefully work out a displays schedule.

#165 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-02-27 13:54:56

An addition to the DRAFT constitution first presented above…

Secularity.  The Government of Mars shall be a secular government.  The Government may establish a corporation that owns places where associations of religious Citizens may temporarily display religious scenes and symbols.  The members of the corporation’s governing body shall be appointed or elected in accordance with laws enacted by the Government.
__________

The inspiration for this constitutional provision is the Florida corporation named “Scripps Florida Funding Corporation”.

     http://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/Corpor … 0001169090

As an example, the corporation might allow a Christian group to display a "Nativity" scene for a week or two.

#166 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-02-27 12:26:54

Terraformer wrote:

Your constitution will go exactly the same way as the Inter caetera that gave the New World to Spain and Portugal.

I am drafting a "Constitution of Mars" with the intention of asking the United Nations to ratify that Constitution.  The ratification might be in the form of an amendment to the Outer Space Treaty.

The history of human civilizations contains dozens, hundreds, thousands of accounts of Hindus slaughtering Moslems, Moslems slaughtering Christians, Christians slaughtering Jews, Jews slaughtering Moslems, etc, etc, etc.  Let’s stop this senseless slaughter.  Let’s agree to teach our children how to create and maintain stable sociocultural systems that are based on science (a body of knowledge obtained and tested by use of the scientific method). 

Perhaps the Constitution of Mars should contain an article which declares that the Government of Mars shall be a secular government.

#167 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-02-27 10:39:30

Tom Kalbfus wrote:

If you want to turn humans into programmable robots, why not just use robots in the first place?

Are "programmable robots" capable of passing a self-recognition test?

     http://www.animalcognition.org/2015/04/ … rror-test/

Do "programmable robots" adopt constitutions?

#168 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-02-27 00:42:58

Void wrote:

If Neanderthal and Denisovian genes are so bad, how come technological activity seems to be so concentrated in places where Denisovian and Neanderthal genetic remnants exist?

I have read that Homo sapiens sapiens received and kept the Neanderthal genes that protected Neanderthals from infectious diseases that were prevalent in Europe.  That is the kind of "natural selection" that you would expect to happen.

If an adult male Neanderthal named Robert is in the habit of killing (and perhaps eating) all other adult male Neanderthals who come close enough to copulate Robert’s daughters then the daughters might begin to copulate with their brothers.  That is the kind of breeding pattern that could lead to low population density and low genetic fitness in Neanderthal populations.

You seem to be imputing to me the assertion that Homo sapiens sapiens never ever engage in cannibalism.  However, I acknowledge that H.s.s. do sometimes engage in cannibalism.  But I am not aware that cannibalism has been extensive enough to cause the crash and dissolution of any modern civilization. 

The failure of an extraterrestrial society’s system of social control would probably be lethal for most or all of the members of that society.  Space habitats will be comparatively fragile.  If the people in such habitats start using modern projectile weapons to attack each other then the air inside the habitats could be lost, leading to the death of all the inhabitants. 

In addition to teaching Martian children how to use behavior shaping techniques on themselves and others, those children should be taught how to calm themselves with meditation.  Being able to remain calm and breathe slowly could be very advantageous during an emergency situation in a space settlement.

#169 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-02-26 18:47:17

Terraformer wrote:

Well, I vote we don't allow any people who want to control others to set foot on Mars. So that rules you out, Scott.

The following statement is sometimes attributed to Thomas Jefferson…

     "That government is best which governs least, because its people discipline themselves."

     https://www.monticello.org/site/jeffers … -quotation

This quote is not found in Jefferson’s writings.  However, it is congruent with his political beliefs.

I am reciting this quote because I want you to understand that social control will be exercised one way or another.  For example, in a totalitarian state the state will maintain a large, vigilant, and often brutal police force.  In contrast, in a libertarian state, the people discipline themselves and the state can have a small police force.

In a totalitarian state, people may do only what the state specifically authorizes the people to do.  In a libertarian state, people may do anything that is not prohibited by law.  Please note that I have put that “libertarian state” principal into my DRAFT constitution.

Social control will be exercised one way or another.  Or, if the system of social control breaks down, chaos begins and after about a week the chaos will include the practice of cannibalism.  It was recently reported that in Venezuela people are eating dogs and cats and zoo animals.  The eating of human corpses may be next and, if things get even worse, people will be hunted and killed by other people and the corpses of the hunted will be eaten while they are still warm.

The genetic fitness of Neanderthals has been judged to be relatively low.  That finding did not surprise researchers because the Neanderthals were cannibals.  Their habit of eating each other sharply limited the number of Neanderthals that could exist in a regional ecosystem.  That situation led to lots of inbreeding and low genetic fitness.

We, the Homo sapiens sapiens, have an aversion to eating each other.  We have been able to climb up the ladder of social complexity.  We have built civilizations, including cities that house millions of people.  We may be able to build cities on Luna and Mars if our social control systems continue to function at levels that make civilization possible.

In summary, a society’s system of social control must function one way or another (totalitarian or libertarian or something in between) or civilization will degenerate into chaos and cannibalism.  I believe that Mars should have a “libertarian” government that maintains a small police force.  However, that will only be possible if Martians have the skill to discipline themselves and if they exercise that skill.

#170 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-02-26 15:06:04

Void wrote:

This will save a lot of wasted time trying to make everyone comply with a monolithic cultural strait jacket.

I included in the DRAFT constitution a provision that reads, “The Government may enact laws that prescribe and regulate the teaching of behavior shaping techniques.”

I firmly believe that the Government should prescribe the teaching of behavior shaping techniques so that people who do subscribe to the existence of different deities will be able to interact with each other without violence. 

Just watch the television news any day and you are likely to see a report about people who subscribe to one religion slaughtering people who belong to a different religion.  That is totally stupid.  That sort of violence would not take place if children were taught how to interact with each other peacefully.

The alternative is having the “commander in chief” of one region of Mars sending his army into another region, bearing rile scopes that have Bible verses inscribed on them, or jihadis sneaking into a neighboring region of Mars and screaming “god is great” as they slaughter innocent people. 

This sort of behavior would not happen on Mars if children are taught how to interact with each other by employing science-based techniques that work irrespective of a person’s religious beliefs.

#171 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-02-26 13:25:14

The philosophy of the "Blank Slate" was already tried in the Soviet Union, and it failed.

Void: Modern behaviorists (who often refer to themselves as “behavior analysts”) acknowledge the existence of genetically programmed behaviors, such as breathing, coughing, yawning, suckling, and others.  They use the term “innate behavior” to refer to genetically programmed behavior, and this may be about the same thing that ethologists mean when they use the term “instinct”.

Behavior analysis is far from being “discredited”.  Please note that the Association for Behavior Analysis International has many thousands of members.  ABAI will be holding its 43rd Annual Convention this May. 

     https://www.abainternational.org/events … -2017.aspx

The extent to which human social behavior is genetically programmed has been the subject of heated debates; see the controversy surrounding Edward O. Wilson’s “sociobiology”.

In the United States, the powers that be slammed “under God” into the “Pledge of Allegiance” to the flag of the United States of America.  This made lots of people very angry.  They did not like being forced to recite that pledge in public schools under the threat of being beaten bloody if they did not recite it.  They did not like being forced under the threat of physical attack to profess that they believe in an invisible policeman in the sky.

Those same powers will want to use their power to threaten and beat the children of Mars.  I believe that those evil and deluded thugs should not ever be allowed to set foot on Mars.

#172 Re: Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-02-26 10:39:25

Terraformer wrote:

Behaviourism was discredited a long time ago, and good riddance to it.

Terraformer: The people of “Comunidad de los Horcones” (State of Sonora, Mexico) are living proof that the members of a human society can apply behavior shaping techniques to each other and thereby build a very prosperous and peaceful community.  That community was founded in 1971 and it is still operating today.  Los Horcones is based on B. F. Skinner’s utopian novel Walden Two.

In most Western societies, children are told that they are inhabited by an entity (a supernatural soul or a metaphysical mind) that has a characteristic called “free will” and that society therefore has the right to reward some behaviors and to punish other behaviors.  That system of social control has worked for many centuries but it is based on a fairy story (a lie).

This is the 21st century and it is time to tell children the truth: (1) The doctrine of free will is an ideology, not a scientific theory; and (2) The members of a human society can use behavior shaping techniques to create and maintain a peaceful and prosperous society.

Mars should have a constitution based on science, not on superstition and metaphysical mumbo jumbo.  I believe that Thomas Jefferson would agree.

#173 Martian Politics and Economy » A Constitution of Mars; Scientocracy » 2017-02-25 19:12:53

Scott Beach
Replies: 96

Thomas Jefferson wrote that “laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also, and keep pace with the times.”  The following “Constitution of Mars” is my attempt to write a constitution for Mars that will “keep pace with the times”. 


DRAFT Constitution of Mars

Purpose.  We, the undersigned, have executed this agreement for the purpose of establishing a government that will exercise dominion over the planet Mars. 

Names.  This agreement shall be known as the “Constitution of Mars” and may be hereinafter referred to as the “Constitution”.  The government established by the Constitution shall be known as the “Government of Mars” and that government may be hereinafter referred to as the “Government”.

Commencement of Operations.  The Government shall begin exercising dominion over Mars when two or more of the parties to this agreement are living on Mars and have declared that they are Citizens of Mars.

Motto.  We recall the words of Henry David Thoreau.  He wrote, “That government is best which governs least”.  Thoreau’s written statement shall be the motto of the Government of Mars.

Permitted Acts.  Acts that are not prohibited by law are permitted.

Scientocracy.  The laws and policies of the Government of Mars shall, to the greatest possible extent, be based on experimentally verifiable data.  The Government may be described as a “scientocracy”.

Behaviorology.  Behavioral science is based on the theory that the behavior of an organism is determined by its physiology, its history of reinforcement and punishment, and its current environment.  A human can use techniques based on that theory to shape his or her own behaviors.  The members of a human society can, by the politically coordinated application of behavior shaping techniques, establish and maintain a society that closely approximates a perfect society, a utopia.

Social Control System.  The children of Mars shall be taught how to use behavior shaping techniques to shape their own and each others behaviors.  The Government may enact laws that prescribe and regulate the teaching of behavior shaping techniques.

to be continued…

#174 Re: Meta New Mars » History of the Flag of Mars » 2017-02-23 15:15:48

Pascal Lee’s original “Flag of Mars” had an aspect ratio (height to length) of 1 to 2.   He later changed the aspect ratio to 2 to 3.  An image of the revised flag is shown on his website (pascallee.net/artwork/flag-of-mars).

In the “Specifications” section of Lee’s “Flag of Mars” webpage, Lee explains that one of the three vertical color bars of the flag is "Imperial Blue” (color “19-4245” of the Pantone Color Matching System).  He wrote, “it's ironic that a celebration of Exploration and Liberty would end with Imperial Blue”. 



I have thought about the name “Imperial” and I have concluded that the government of Mars should be named the “Imperial Republic of Mars”.  The Republic should have an Emperor who has the constitutional authority to fix the Prime Meridian of Mars, and to perform such other official functions as the constitution or the parliament may authorize.  For example, the Emperor might be empowered to imperiously proclaim dominion over Phobos and Deimos, and to thereby transform the Republic into an empire!

The Emperor’s official residence should be grand enough to attract a steady stream of tourists, who will gladly pay a small fee for a guided tour of the “Imperial Palace of Mars”.

The Emperor’s official flag might have an Imperial blue field and one gold star for each of the states or provinces of the Republic.  The Emperor’s flag might look similar to the flag of the European Union (Google “European Union flag”).

A carefully drafted Martian constitution could establish a harmonious balance between liberty and imperialism.  “Long live the Emperor!”

#175 Civilization and Culture » Libertarianism and Social Planning » 2017-02-22 09:36:47

Scott Beach
Replies: 4

E. O. Wilson Intervierw: Harvard sociologist E.O. Wilson talks about genes and their impact on behavior

“All that sociobiology can do, in my opinion, is to tell us more about where we came from, what we've got, what our predispositions are, as an aid in the cost-benefit analysis that goes into any discussion of our future goals. That's what a large part of politics and social planning is all about: what our goals are, what we want to achieve beyond mere survival.”

     Published by OMNI Media, "the intersection of science, technology, art, culture, design, and metaphysics".

Many ProtoMartians put themselves into the "libertarian" category.  At the same time, they recognize that the colonization of Mars will require massive amounts of "social planning".

Can we design and build Martian social systems that (1) provide freedom and opportunity and that (2) prevent the growth of corrupt, totalitarian governments?  Can we adopt these outcomes as our goals?

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