Sound Societies

The term ‘sound societies’ refers to societies (organizational systems, see below) that are capable of meeting the needs of a group of technologically sophisticated thinking beings with physical needs.  This is the category of beings that includes humans on Earth.

Certain objective scientific requirements must be met to have ‘sound societies.’  Before we look at these requirements, lets consider the term ‘society’ in more detail to see what it means.

What are Societies?

The term ‘societies’ refers to the sets of rules and structures that determine how living beings interact with outside world and with each other to meet their needs.

Interactions With The Outside World

All beings with physical needs must interact with the outside world to get these needs met, or they perish.

All of earth’s animals and plants have physical needs.

This is because all of earth’s life is built on DNA.  DNA- based life recombines elements to duplicate DNA; this is essential for reproduction.  Each being must have inputs of energy to make these reactions happen. This energy generally comes from chemical reactions.  The book, The Meaning of Life explains these reactions in detail, as part of its explanation the process we call ‘life.’  But, in almost every case, the energy for the reactions comes from food that earth's life forms consume and process for energy.

We humans must eat food to provide energy.  Our bodies take energy (stored chemically in the food) out of the substances we eat. We use the energy to sustain our life processes and reproduce.  We expel the substances that have been depleted of energy as wastes.

The food always comes from the outside world.  We have to interact with the world to meet our needs.  At the very least, we have to do this to get food.  All beings that do not have the ability to think and plan on a conscious level interact with the world through instinct.  This is true by the definition of the term ‘instinct.’  This definition is from the American Heritage Dictionary:

instinct /ĭn′stĭngkt″/

noun

An inborn pattern of behavior that is characteristic of a species and is often a response to specific environmental stimuli.

"the spawning instinct in salmon; altruistic instincts in social animals."

A powerful motivation or impulse.

An innate capability or aptitude.

This means that all animals other than humans interact with the world (and other members of their species; this is discussed below) through instinct.

Humans are the only animals on earth that are not bound entirely by instinct.  We have self will and self awareness.  If we find that our instincts drive us to interact with the world a way that we don’t like, we don’t have to give in to the instincts. We can use our willpower to design something else.

For example, many of earth’s animals divide into groups to fight over territory.  Wolves, jackals, and hyenas, for example, form into packs to fight over territory.  Each pack defines a territory with marks (scent marks, for these animals) along the borders.  It then patrols the borders and uses force to keep out other members of their own species that are not members of their packs.  This kind of society is built on a principle called ‘territorial sovereignty.’   Lower animals that act this way (all animals other than humans) do so because of instinct.  They don’t have self will or the ability to formulate plans.  Various environmental and evolutionary forces compel them to live this way.  (Starting with the next chapter, we will examine these forces; we can’t really understand why we act as we do without understanding the forces that pushed our evolutionary ancestors to act as they acted.)   Instinct determines the way they interact with the world around them. These instincts push them to divide the land around them into territorial parcels, mark borders around each, and defend the borders with force.

Dogs are not the only animals that act this way.  The highest category of earth’s beings (as far as intellectual capability) is that of primates.  We are primates.  Many primates build their societies on territorial sovereignty.  Our closest evolutionary ancestors, gorillas and members of the genus pan (specifically chimpanzees) organize themselves this way. Current human societies are built on the principle of territorial sovereignty also.

The types of societies that dominate the world today are built on territorial sovereignty.

All beings with physical needs must interact with the environment around them to meet their needs or they will perish.

where the interests of the individuals within society align with the interests of

The chart below is a chart of possible societies.

Qqq road map of possible societies.