World Science Day...and why we can't form a more perfect union. But could pay for an increasingly sustainable world.

“A great part of that order which reigns among mankind is not the effect of government. It [mankind] had its origin in the principles of society and the natural constitution of man. It existed prior to government, and would exist if the formality of government was abolished. The mutual dependence and reciprocal interest which man has upon man, and all parts of a civilized community upon each other, create that great chain of connection which holds it together. The landholder, the farmer, the manufacturer, the merchant, the tradesman, and every occupation, prospers by the aid which each receives from the other, and from the whole. Common interest regulates their concerns, and forms their laws; and the laws which common usage ordains, have a greater influence than the laws of government. In fine, society performs for itself almost everything which is ascribed to government.  – Thomas Paine, Rights of Man [1791] 

Today, November 10, is World Science Day for Peace and Development   (A 2001 UNESCO proclamation)

If we organized our government on fundamental principles (also known as 'first principles' or "truths" that "we hold" to be "self-evident") humanity could actually engineer a reliable governance system that could yield us a sustainably free and secure world for future generations.  There is no shortage of money or resources on this planet to do it.  Only a lack of political and mental will.

The political will could come with a scientific approach.  Science is the search for truth.  It may never find the ultimate truth. But its truths are far more reliable to engineer with on this miracle planet with over 8 billion people who must share it with.   Truth builds trust.  And trust is key to reliable conversations.  To the degree that we use words with no precise meaning is the degree to which we will never agree on doing what works and is urgently needed on planet earth. 

Like when we use a word like 'terrorism".  It can be defined differently in many minds.  

"When they put bombs in cars and kill people, they're uncivilized killers. When we put bombs on missiles and kill people, we're upholding civilized values. When they kill, they're terrorists. When we kill, we're striking against terror". Norman Solomon

In fact, "terrorism" is a tactic. It cannot be defeated militarily.  Trying so only inflames the hearts and minds of ten more people for every suspected 'terrorist' that's killed.  That only puts humanity on an endless pathway of the exponential growth of ethnic cleansing, mass murder, genocide, and an evolution of weapons that will first - end any semblance of privacy, followed by endless war.  Then finally extinction of our species, along with many other species as we are distracted from maintaining our natural life support systems.  The systems we needed to sustain ourselves.    We must use precise words in making laws.  And make that abide primarily on "The Laws of Nature and Nature's God" (taking care of nature and each other).  Why is it so hard for people to understand this?  It's knowledge we've all had since pre-biblical times. And it was offered again to the founders who created our nation.  But the majority of those wise and intelligent men ignored them. 

And only "we the people" can alter or abolish this insanity.  

There is an interim path.  And we can take the first step tomorrow. 

November 11th is Veteran’s Day (originally global "Armistice Day" intended to prevent a future world war).  Obviously, it failed.  And we are now only 30 days away from the 75th anniversary of humanities second global attempt to prevent yet another world war.  Seventy-five years ago, on December 10th was the global adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). It was created after the unprecedented terrors of WWII, the holocaust, and the first use of WMD.  After WWII humanity realized that the protection of human rights was the foundation of a sustainably and relatively peaceful free world. 

Well, obviously the UDHR didn't work!  We are edging closer to another world war.  And "never again" never worked.  Why?  The nations that won that war created the United Nations without empowering it with any means to override (or outlaw) any nation's capacity to mass murder within their own sovereign borders.  Or to stop anything else that a government wanted to do within those borders to its people or the environment.  Unless, that government had access to nuclear weapons, or believed they had a more powerful military than nations around it.  So, in both instances a government could do whatever it wants beyond its own boarders using any justification (just or unjust) it comes up with.   

Obviously and tragically this same unsustainable global governance system remains today. And now with a tsunami of accelerating environment destruction, an unholy assault that's been going on for at least three generations, we are stuck with no reliable means of stopping.  Our priority is 'building resilience'  

But there is a new way of ensuring human rights and without the force of governments.  Doing this would help enormously those hurt by no enforcement of their rights and impacted most heavily by the environmental havocs.  It would only take the cooperation of governments.  Cooperation that should be simple once they realize the benefits to improving the lives of their own citizens will best sustain their own grip on power.  

In 2015 nearly all nations and their best experts, the public, and even the private sectors came together at the United Nations and agreed upon a compressive list of 17 goals to be achieved by the year 2030.  The Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs.  These goals are broken up into 169 measurable targets that could do much of what the UDHR had intended.  But these 17 goals would need to be sufficiently funded.  

The world is half-way to the deadline date but falling behind in its capacity to hit those targets.  Largely because powerful nations prefer military targets instead even as they are running out of ammunition, funding, and public support. Thinking and looking outside this box is needed.  In June of this year a proposal (obvious but mostly avoided by policy makers) was bravely offered.  And given all the threats policy makers are failing to address and have no budget for, they may be more willing to support. 

While there has been a lack of political will there is no shortage of money in the world.  Brian Moynihan, Bank of America Chair & CEO boldly stated that businesses must step up.    And if businesses want "capitalism" and "profits" to remain sustainable businesses must invest in achieving these goals.  "Capitalism" he said “requires a greater purpose than making more profit”.  And achieving the SDGs will cost an approximately “$6 trillion annually”.   “Governments are too debt burdened” and “Charity is insufficient”.  “Business leaders” “like the oil companies” need to prioritize their balancing of ‘short-term gains’ with ‘long term interests’ globally.  'Profits must be good for business and society down to the community level.'   

 C-span Interview: Bank of America Chair & CEO Brian Moynihan discusses the state of the economy and the U.S. financial system during a conversation hosted by the City Club of Cleveland.  Program ID:  529044-1  https://www.c-span.org/video/?529044-1/bank-america-ceo-remarks-city-club-cleveland 

So on this "Science Day..." remember that truths can vary in our era of increasing Truth decay.  And by understanding Neil deGrasse Tyson’s assertion that there are 3 types of Truth we can put humanity on a more sustainable path.  His insight explains the primary source of growing polarization, conflicts, and stiffening resistance to the urgent changes needed.

The 1st is our personal truth. The God we believe in, or not. 

And nearly everyone has a different personal truth. 

 

The 2nd is our political truth.  The concepts and ideas have we’ve grown up with, learned,

or heard so many times from people we trust, love, and admire, that they must be true. 

 Groups of people usually have conflicting political truths.

 

The last is objective truths.  These truths are backed by empirical evidence -acquired by

direct observation, experimentation, or experience – based on real world data (observed,

measured, and verified by one’s senses or scientific tools/method.  Tyson asserted when

two scientists disagree, there are only three possible outcomes.  1. I’m right. You’re wrong. 

2.  Your right and I’m wrong.   3.  We are both wrong.  Let’s find the answer. 

Most recently he suggested if an argument lasts more than 5 minutes... both people are wrong. 😉

And I’m certain that if two groups have been warring for nearly 1000 years... both are wrong.  

Here's a vital Truth. The scientific method is not perfect. And scientists certainly aren’t perfect.  But the scientific method is self-correcting within the field of science.  It is the best method for approaching a functional human ‘truth’.  Like the "truths" "we hold" "to be self-evident" expressed in the Declaration of Independence. These are the same as first principles or fundamental principles.  These are basic assumptions that cannot be deduced from any other proposition or assumption. Some examples include: 

1. The law of non-contradiction: This principle states that something cannot be both true and false at the same time and in the same respect. It is a fundamental principle of logic and is used to evaluate the truth of statements. 

2. The principle of causality: This principle states that every event has a cause, and that the cause must be sufficient to produce the effect. It is a fundamental principle of science and is used to explain why things happen the way they do.

 3.  The principle of individual rights: This principle states that individuals have certain inalienable rights that cannot be violated, such as the right to life, liberty, and property. It is a fundamental principle of political philosophy and is used to evaluate the legitimacy of government actions. 

One can argue about these. Unfortunately, the mind has the ability to believe anything.  Repeat!  “Believe ANYTHING!”  And then decide to kill and even die for that personal or group belief. 

This day offers an opportunity for everyone to engage in scientific debates and activities that can spread Tyson's conceptual solution to our urgent gravest threats and problems. 

An opportunity for action is to mobilize all concerned actors around the science for sustainable development – from government officials to the media to school students. By linking science more closely with society, science is accessible to all and broadens our understanding of the remarkable, fragile planet we call home. It also becomes a more solid stepping-stone towards making our societies more sustainable.

And organizing an event on or around this December 10ths 75 anniversary of the UDHR is a perfect time to get the word out after today.  The next might be around Thanksgiving for all this earth has given us.  And Christmas given that the foundation of Christianity, and every other religion, is the Golden Rule.  And again, on New Years.  When we consider making resolutions.   

 "The strength or weakness of a society depends more on the level of its spiritual life than on its level of industrialization. Neither a market economy nor even general abundance constitutes the crowning achievement of human life. If a nation’s spiritual energies have been exhausted, it will not be saved from collapse by the most perfect government structure or by any industrial development.  A tree with a rotten core cannot stand."  -- Alexander Solzhenitsyn  (1918-2008) Russian novelist, Soviet dissident, imprisoned for 8 years for criticizing Stalin in a personal letter, Nobel Prize for Literature, 1970   Source: National Review article (Sept. 23, 1991, p.24)