Oludare 1

Simisola O. Oludare

Dr. Tasheen Kazi

INTA 2030: International Ethics

03/27/2013

How should the world ‘hang together’?

The world is a very big place and it is filled with many natural resources. The world also contains

very many human beings, animals and plant life which vie for the use of its natural resources. So, how

are these natural resources distributed among these many competitors? And how should these natural

resources actually be distributed? For the sake of alleviating complexity, I will narrow the focus to the

human ecosystem and view animals and plant life as a part of the environment, and as natural

resources. These questions can now be rephrased as: how do human beings co-exist in their

environment? And how should they co-exist in their environment? Unlike the natural environment that

possesses physical laws to guide it to some semblance of order, human beings do not have a unifying set

of beliefs that guide their actions. Instead, human association has resulted in numerous beliefs and laws

which convolute and contradict one another, ultimately leading the human race to conflict and

disorganization. All these different beliefs and laws are united in the fact that they seek to provide

humanity with a way to order itself in relation to one another and the environment; however, while

briefly comforting, this knowledge has failed to curb the conflict that arises from disagreement. But is all

the disagreement that arises from different points of view necessary? I don’t think so. I believe that in a

world where human beings value one another’s necessity for material goods above subjecting each

other to a form of philosophical justification or motivation, it is possible to eliminate the disagreements

that arise from differences. And I believe that this is how the world should hang together: in a complete

separation of mind and body. This separation implies that in dealing with one another, human beings

should consider the physical wellbeing of each other and not the ideals which govern them; ultimately,
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creating a world association in which each person possess a mutual respect for the lives and beliefs of

other people.

In the current state of the world, international society exists in a conditon of anarchy. Each

nation creates its identity under a set of accepted principles which come to define its people. These

people then become associated with the laws, policies and customs of that nation which then determine

the nature of their existenc e. By choosing to live under the laws of a particular nation, and after being

accepted by the people of a nation, the people choose to have some of their freedoms restricted in

return for the benefits and the physical protection that nation can offer. To protectect and provide for

its people, each nation acts to gain the most power to ensure that no other nation can act in any form

that endangers its people. This results in a global power struggle with each nation seeking to obtain the

most natural resources and means of production. The struggle for power forces nations to act only in

the best interest of its people even at the cost of oppressing other nations; ethical considerations are

sooner or later inconsequential in determining what is right and wrong, and power becomes the only

determinant of justice. Ultimately, this will lead the world to a state of chaos and disorder where war is

rampant. To avoid this chaos, the people of the world need to recognize our uniting factors and the

needs which each nation serves to provide and protect for its people. By recognizing these factors,

national affiliations and ideals can be superceded by a cosmopolitan idealogy which serves to protect

and provide for all the people of the world.

The creation of such a world organization will depend on the acknowledgement of the axiom

that every human being needs certain natural resources to exist, and that the existence of a human life

surpasses all ideals. With the acceptance and understanding of this axiom, the governments of the

world will unite with the aim of providing the necessary needs of every human being in the world

without prejudice for nationality, race and culture. Ultimately, this will lead to the elimination of

national boundaries, tearing down the ‘fences’ of the world and in effect creating a world society. For
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this world society to be effective in maintaining this organization, it will be led by a world government

which constitutes of elected representatives from the nations of the world. The government will be

structured in a hierarchy consisting of local and state officials appointed by the elected representative of

each nation; these appointed officials at each level of the hierarchy will be necessary for upholding the

laws and policies of the world government. The main function of the government will be to create laws

and policies which deal with the preservation of human life and the distribution of wealth among the

citizens of the world. This world government will not function in any capacity to direct the morality of

individuals except in situations where the laws of preservation of life and the distribution of wealth are

involved. On the preservation of life, the government will deem all murder and subjugation of human

life as illegal; this means that no human being will be allowed to kill another or subjugate another (or

group of individuals) to his or her will by the use of physical, life threatening force. This will be the only

policy which the government will seek to enforce and it will serve as the rationale for the government’s

policy concerning the distribution of wealth.

The wealth of the world government will be generated as a tax on the gross product created by

every man and industry in the world. Wealth will be divided so that every individual has the basic

provisions and the means of production to survive and work; in other words, wealth will be shared on

the basis of need. However, for any individual to receive the wealth of the government he or she will be

required to be a productive member of society either by working in any industry or the bureaucracy of

the government. For the individuals who do not possess the physical capability to work, provisions will

be provided by the government so that they will have a good life. Children will be included among the

physically incapable and will not be required to work until they turn 16 years old. Also for those who are

lack the education and mental capabilities (i.e. mentally retarded) to work, education will be provided

by the government and the necessary provisions made for the mentally retarded. The local and state

governments will be responsible for making sure that all individuals capable of working are doing so and
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also receiving appropriate government aid. This policy will also be applied to businesses; the

government will ensure that each business receives its means of production as long as it remains

profitable. While businesses will not be owned by the government, the government will reserve the

special authority in ensuring that the employees are paid appropriately for the labor they perform. Once

a business ceases to be profitable, the government will withhold all aid and offer to purchase the

business or assist in revising the current business model. By enforcing these policies, the world

government will be able to ensure that the physical wellbeing of every individual on the earth is

adequately provided for. By providing the needs for survival and production as a basic right for being

alive and a human being, people will be provided the freedom to think and achieve what they want

without any geographical, national and cultural restrictions.

With their basic physical needs provided and their freedom and lives protected, the people in

this world structure will be free to develop their individual ideals and morality within the world society.

And although, each individual is left to think (or not think) for himself or herself, he or she will not be

allowed to enforce those ideologies upon another person or a group of people. This does not deter any

individual from speaking his or her mind, or preaching his or her belief, it however prevents any person

from subjugating another to a particular idea of right and wrong. In the case that an individual attempts

to subjugate another (or a group), the world government will pursue military action against the

perpetrator and imprison him/her; the possibility of military action will serve as a deterrent for any

would be tyrant. There will also be no local and national laws which dictate what is right and wrong

except for the global laws which establish no killing, enslavement and theft of physical property; these

laws will be upheld by the justice system of each nation as mandated by the world government. This will

ensure that the majority of the people, through a democratic system, will be unable to enforce their

ideologies on the minority. In effect, this world society will create order and eliminate the struggle to

balance power that exists in the current world society. In this world society, order will be determined
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and protected by the government, and each individual will have sole power over himself and his

property. While the confusion that arises from different ideologies will still exist, its effects on the

geopolitical landscape of the world will be eliminated. In fact, the geopolitical landscape will have been

replaced with a truly cosmopolitan world where each person successfully provides for him (or her) self,

his or her family, and his or her neighbor the world over without question of belief. This is how the

world will hang, interwoven and intertwined, not in struggle but in mutual preservation. By being able to

achieve this end, I believe a world society organized in this fashion will function better than what the

current world society.