The Cooperation of Societies
The reptiles and dinosaurs appeared on this planet during the Mesozoic Age which began some 225 million years ago. They were a durable bunch and persisted until they were taken out by a visitor from outer space that made landfall (or sea fall) just off the Yucatan Peninsula some 65 million years ago. They had a run of almost 200 million years. They were splendid in their variety and it seems there was one to fit every niche in the existing ecology. Likely, they would still be dominant had that asteroid not come to us. It is also likely that humans would not have risen to the current status had they survived because they were marvelously adapted to their surroundings.
But their demise gave room for mammals to begin their long climb to superiority. It took another 77 million years for our genus, Homo, to take root. Through the many permutations of evolution it took another 7 or 8 million years for our species, Homo Sapiens, to take root. That is less that 1 million years that our species has existed out of the 4.5 billion years of the earth.
Other variations of our family tree stayed in the trees or on the mountains where the environment afforded some margin of safety. One of the things that has differentiated our genus from others is the habit of forming communities. As a matter of fact, one could argue that it is our reliance on communities that allowed our genus to grow and proliferate. As far back as anyone can deduce primates have lived in groups. It is through reliance on those complex relationships that the group prospers. Those which lose the contact of the group find themselves in desperate straits because it is nearly impossible to find protection and adequate food without the group. It was from such groups that the genus homo began to prosper. First as opportunists gathering enough food and protection to survive by taking the leftovers from other animals and the fruit and other food that nature offers then beginning to use tools and learning how to use the group to hunt. Other mammals use groups to hunt and maybe the early proto-humans took an example from that. Whatever the case they proved to be very good at using the group to make up for the lack of overwhelming physical characteristics. They went from being the prey to preying upon other species but no other species experienced the accompanying growth of the brain. That greater brain allowed them to devise strategies, develop tools and use fire. As their diet improved so did the growth of that brain and the genus homo branched into several sub-species. We are now discovering that they did not remain separate but interbred and preserved the best characteristics of each species.
Then about 10,000 years ago one of the most important events in evolutionary history happened. The hunter-gatherers learned how to farm. This meant they could stay in one spot, raise families, build permanent shelters and develop more complex and larger societies. The downside to this is that rules became necessary to maintain a semblance of peace and to distribute the products of their labors. Millenia passed with rules being made by a strong man, priests and by inheritance. Godly intervention was sometimes construed to appoint a person to be the ruler thereby reinforcing the right of the ruler to dominate. Sometime shortly prior to the third millennium past there began to arise the thought that people should be able to govern themselves. Of course, it wasn't for all people and usually didn't include women. Maybe it was applicable only to land owners or people of wealth but philosophers had quite a time of it deciding who would be the righteous possessors of the right to make laws that would govern all. That was an odd notion and any form of democracy had a difficult time taking root but still instances occurred that tried this or that form.
But then, some 800 years ago some English subjects decided that the King had too much power and that power included making war which impacted them directly. They demanded that the King grant some amount of power to the nobles and such. Of course, the common serf still had no rights. The King was still allowed to hold power because he was obviously appointed by God who ordained the right to rule. None of this allowed the common people to prosper.
It was into this milieu that the American colonies were formed and it only took a hundred years or so before they decided they should form their own societies and their own laws to govern them. Those treasonous people followed the thoughts of the philosophers of the enlightenment period and declared that certain rights were endowed by the Creator whoever that was. Somehow they missed the fact that women and those enslaved were people so it took a while longer to extend the right to vote for their leaders.
Since then it has been almost 250 years and participation in this democracy is almost universal having been extended to all men, finally all women and we are still working on making sure that everyone has the expectation that their votes will be counted.
All of this leads to the laws that govern us and their purpose. In 1789 after a bloody war with Great Britain our United States of America was formed with a Constitution enumerating the rights and responsibilities of citizens. It is worth noting that the prime consideration and basis for all rights relied on property rights. This group of laws was created by our legislature and submitted to the individual states for ratification which was forthcoming thereby creating a contract between the governed and those who govern. That contract is still in force having never been negated by a successful Constitutional Convention.
Over the decades the courts have held that, according to our Constitution, all people are created equal and endowed with certain rights. Also that each person had the right to an expectation of being treated equally under the law. As populations increased strains began to show in the fabric of society and our courts have rendered decisions that impacted interpretations of the intent of our Constitution as the needs of society grew ever more complex.
Today we find ourselves in a heated discussion over exactly what the Constitution intended for its citizens. It is difficult to determine sometimes since there are conflicts in interpretations. But it is certain that without rules to keep the peace and prevent disruptions that would threaten the republic our existence as a free people would be endangered. Our social contract has held us together all these years by encouraging cooperation and compromise. Until there is a successful constitutional convention the contract binds all citizens of this republic. It seems plain that as population increases and resources become more precious that a more cooperative nature is going to be required. Some are resisting this with every fiber of their being claiming to not be bound by the Social Contract but they are wrong.
My Take is that the human race, not just our country, will require more cooperation and sharing of resources rather than less. Without this enmity is guaranteed and the republic is endangered.
