Transhumanism
True Democracy
The modern democratic model of government is doomed to fail at its very foundations: as power is diffused, so too is the potential for achievement dimmed. When a government is inherently distrustful of the very people it governs, so too is there a loss of faith amongst the people in the government.
For example, the founders of the United States specifically created the government of the nation with the intent of instituting the system of checks and balances, with the declared intentions of preventing any specific individual or group from ever taking control. This is both the greatest strength and weakness of the modern democratic concept: checks and balances prevent the abuse of power by small groups with elitist ambitions, but it is also heavily bureaucratic in its operations in order to bring about this limitation of power. Furthermore, it may very well be said and accepted, though not empirically proven, that the leadership in a democracy is limited in its ability for accomplishments. Given that there will always be partisan opposition, the democratic leader cannot but devote much his time to side pursuits rather than wholly focusing on leading the nation.
Another deficiency of the modern democracy lies in the loyalty of the citizenship and the government workers. As there is no central, concrete figure to hold the nation together, no absolute sense of personal responsibility in the chief executive of the state, the citizenship is encouraged to pursue individualistic, selfish aims, often not to the benefit of the greater society. Additionally, civil servants are not compelled to service the constituency because of a dominating sense of duty, but rather for individual desires, as simple as perceiving their positions as just another job rather than as the humble servants of the people. The positions of government workers thus create a conflict of interest- should the views of the people be different from those of the workers, a mental struggle will take place in the minds of these workers that tends to undermine the effectiveness of the entire system.
Yet in spite all of its faults, the modern democratic concept touches upon something deeper: the belief of power for all people. The difference between modern democracy and the posthuman democracy is that egalitarianism, having slipped through human grasp for so long, is finally possible.
What is egalitarianism but the promotion of equality for all? Yet we can only pay lip service to this simple idea today: even if the law states that all are equal, the ability for each individual to exercise and benefit from egalitarian rights varies. The elite of society guarantees their hold on power through a combination of marriage and genetic trends, physical and mental development opportunities, and a surplus of capital to stand to benefit the most from a modern democracy.
In contrast, the basic worker of an industrialized democracy is rendered into little more than a cog, living under the popularly declared illusion that he has as much influence as the wealthy movers and shakers. From conception, possibly genetic and especially social traits that predispose the elite of society to retain their positions are less virulent amongst the working classes. Also, a vicious cycle is enacted in the lower classes that stacks incredible odds against those in these vast ranks; as the family is either unwilling or unable to devote resources to further the child's development, the child has little chance of succeeding upon his own. Without being able to create additional resources, this second generation continues the cycle of defeat. With this in place, a democracy has instead become an individualistic tool for the betterment of the few. How else can one individual be heard over a hundred others if not for the resources that single individual can dedicate to combat the activism of the many that oppose him?
So how will a posthuman democracy finally deliver upon the promise of democratic ideals? With the aid of technology and information, each individual will become readily acquainted and integrated within their society. A tiny implant will allow the individual to plug in to a virtual forum, and with powerful technology at work, the benefits and risks of any decision be instantly weighed and decisions quickly made via a virtual forum, moderated by an AI, or it may simply be that all linked minds eventually merge into one entity, so that the welfare of one individual is as important as the welfare of all citizens.
The modern stratified society only works as the flow of information and the distribution of power is constricted, both naturally and artificially. A free market society only works if perfect competition is enabled, but because all information about all competitors and products is not made available, the customer is unable to find the most efficient way to acquire a desired product. Hence the marketing tactics engaged by various organizations: the goal of advertising and marketing does not merely increase demand; rather, it is to create an illusion of the product. A similar issue plagues the modern democratic government: even though elections are touted as a democratic process, voters are exposed more often to propaganda and slander than to true facts that they are encouraged to analyze. This means that voting is more or less based on gut instinct and cultured emotions rather than sound critical analysis. Who has time for research when all the information we need on a candidate is summarized in a fifteen-second television ad?
With minds linked together through a common network, a posthuman democracy is unique in that each individual within a society is accountable for their own actions, yet each individual works for the betterment of the entire society as well. There will be no secrets, for all will be made known; fearful as this concept may seem, we must understand that secrets exist only because we do not trust one another. When we can truly communicate our thoughts in their purest forms to each other, what need will the people have for secrets? What fear will the people have of each other?
Such a construct has very important consequences that will revise the very foundations of human society. It also takes the best of each historical concept of government and integrates them into a vision of a posthuman society. From anarchism, the power of the individual is acknowledged; from democracy, the value of diverse and informed opinions; from socialism, the power of focused pursuit; from communism, the idea of a society in which all people will truly be equals- with the aid of free technology, physical and mental limits of humanity will be pushed, and the benefactors will be every citizen in the society. The two popular and well-founded fears that many have had of communist ideology is that firstly, the populace is in reality unequal. Party officials are prone to corruption, and the citizenry live in a state of fear. Secondly, as communism has been true only in an idealistic sense, there exists little incentive for meritorious service; since all work is regarded as equal in such a state, good performance go unrewarded and incompetence remain unchallenged in many cases. A posthuman society eliminates these problems through complete transparency, as well as the drive for all citizens for achievement as the question of ability is no longer an issue through the endowment of technological aid.
A truly integrative society will arise; fractured markets will become ever more efficient, the line between wealth and poverty will be erased so that no group shall pull upon another- every individual will be able to enjoy the benefits of all that society may offer him. As we become understood to one another, we will be able to function as a unified force. With social and physical ills conquered through the diffusion of technology, the limits of human achievement will truly be only as high as arbitrarily set. We will be able to reap the actual benefits of all pervious political ideologies, without their negative consequences: the dreaded mob rule of democracy will be a thing of the past, the good points of an idea be circulated for consideration without the presence of an ego or hidden motive; thus a government for the people and the people inseparable from the government.
The creation of this posthuman democracy will allow humanity to finally achieve the dreams of our forefathers: peace, health, longevity, development, and prosperity, and reach for even higher goals never imagined before.
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