The Swarm vs. The Gorilla

[exploited]

[The Dharma Bum]

Basically the swarm principle describes how stateless society should work. If each autonomous individual follows a few simple co-operative rules the result is beneficial social behavior.

This is definitely more viable than our current social order, which is quite simply unsustainable.

[exploited]

Okay, fair enough, but Swarms only emerge when each individual obeys certain rules. What should those rules be? We are talking about rules needed to sustain a society, so you'll have to be fairly broad here.

[The Dharma Bum]

I think something along the lines of the non-aggression principle should be sufficient. It's fairly broad.

[exploited]

[The Dharma Bum]

Not sure the decentralized "swarm model" corresponds to anything in the centralized "gorilla" paradigm. The federal aspect of government represents central authority.

I can imagine that a confederation of citizen assemblies aligned according to the principles of libertarian municipalism could be temporarily empowered to make defense decisions if the region were attacked or during the case of some type of disaster, but this sort of social order has to be predicated on general acceptance of the principles of non-aggression and individual autonomy to function correctly so anything like that would have to be on a temporary basis and be voluntary.

I don't think the coercion and social conformity that is required for statism to function correctly can be reconciled with this form of social order.

I think that perhaps the closest anthropological analog for the concept you are looking for is the idea of taboo . It's a simple set of rules that each relatively autonomous member of the group has to follow in order for the society to function correctly. It's fairly simple to hash out such a doctrine for modern culture.

Probably it's a necessity, actually.

[The Dharma Bum]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swarm_intelligence

Here are some possibilities for a model for your doctrine.

[The Dharma Bum]

How about something similar to this?:
http://genevalunch.com/blog/2011/05/04/ ... udy-shows/

[exploited]

Well, sure, that is all well and good. And I thought the idea of swarm intelligence was cool.

About the only thing I think should be under centralized control is environmental regulations, which due to their nature, require large-scale, centralized planning. National defense should become provincial defense, with perhaps everyone chipping in for the Navy. Government on a national level ought to be abolished outside of a negative Bill of Rights.

[JDHURF]

This can only be a basis of discussion for human society in very metaphorical terms. The human species is not an insect and is not adapted for swarm behavior. It's simply not possible.

I agree with decentralization and relative local autonomy situated within an interlinked federation. I would simply insist that it is a bit of confusion to conflate this with swam behavior. There is no genuine autonomy within swarm behavior, for one thing.