In the long ago. In lands far away, whose names are lost to us, several groups of people changed the habits of a life-time. Overthrowing centuries of tradition and cultural norms, these semi-nomadic extended family groups stopped moving. Instead of following the narratives of their ancestors, moving about the landscape, relying upon captured, killed or foraged food they made the choice to settle in one location.
As a result of this action human society changed forever.
As a fairly small group of environment exploiting humans, the semi-nomadic society most probably relied upon a societal framework more akin to our great ape cousins. Even though we had already developed languages, art, textiles, pottery, weaponry, and many other tools, techniques and attitudes that separated us from our fellow mammals, our need to ensure the survival of the genetic lines meant that the cultural system of a small core of powerful adults guiding the fortunes of the whole group seems the most likely scenario.
The Agricultural Revolution changed all that. *
In the 15000 years or so since, many diverse attempts have been made to continue that genetic need in a number of different ways. We have tried monarchies and dictatorships, empires and oligarchies, communism and democracy. Large overpowering governments, small ineffective principalities. Proto-democracies and pseudo-democracies. Appointed by deities or chosen by vote. Theocracies and Martial Law. As well as various combinations of each, and many others. All claiming to be the definitive and therefore only legitimate system to ensure the continuation of that biological imperative.
Of course, each of these systems has a major flaw. Actual humans themselves. I don’t know if you have noticed but as a species we have some issues with cooperation, responsibility and recognition. These failures of character notwithstanding the great “Governance” problem continues. And it is a problem.
Throughout our history, as our physical dominance of the planet has expanded beyond the imaginings of our forebears, the various methods employed across cultures, territories and linguistic groups have – as our societies have grown through tribe/clan, polis, city, state, nation, superstate et al – all faced the question: What is government for?
Difficult one isn’t it?
It certainly seems to be considering all the failed attempts.
And here dear reader, after all that turgid intro, is my opinion. What do you mean, you don’t care? Why are you reading this rubbish then? I know why I’m writing it but nobody forced you to waste your time. Go on, go do something else. Honestly, I won’t mind. You know you will feel better going and doing anything other than forcing your eyes to stay open all the way to the end of this pointlessness.
So anyway, my opinion. What is government for?
Well to follow that basic genetic imperative obviously. To ensure the continuation of the genetic lines entrusted into your care. No more, no less. Simple isn’t it?
Well…. Yes and No. Obviously.
But let us explore the argument. What does it mean “to ensure the continuation” and what does that entail? At the very basic level, for a species to continue its genetic line, it needs to be safe and healthy.
That’s it. Everything else is window dressing.
Thank you and Go[HOLD ON!]
{What?}
[You can’t do that. You can’t just force us to read through all that for that. “That’s it. everything else is window dressing.” What kind of conclusion is that?]
{Well…Erm… You see…}
[You’re hippied is what you are trying to say. Well I’m not standing for it this time. As your Internal Editor I suggest you get those fuzzy little brain cells working and finish this thing properly.]
{But[But me no buts you old hound, say what you set out to say and don’t dodge.}…}
{Alright, alright. Let me just gather my thoughts into something more concrete than the beautiful but distracting dino clouds currently beckoning for my attention.}
[Go on then, you’ll be no use until you can string more than three words together.]
Days pass. Or maybe a few hours. Who knows?
Anyway. Health and safety to continue the genetic lines. That is literally all a government, in any form, needs to do. Alright, maybe we need to break it down a bit.
Let’s start with safety. There are two aspects to this. Safety from outside threats and safety for members within the protected genetic lines. So government needs a way to protect the genetic lines in its care from outside violent attention. Well that’s easy. Either a standing military force, or a way of ensuring the populous can defend themselves. As a concept, I have no problem with this. I know others will disagree, indeed if your argument is convincing enough you may even change my mind. For now, I will continue to believe that defence of self and others is a legitimate reason for violence if the situation warrants it. So to protect the genetic lines the government must be responsible for defence of those lines.
Internal peacekeeping. Oh what a complex organism we are. How inquisitive. How selfish. How violent. How creative. Storytellers and butchers. Builders and liars. Inspirational and venal. Caring and indifferent. Many great works have been produced over the last few thousand years and not one, in my pointless opinion, has ever come close to explaining or defining what being “human’ is. That of course is what makes the problem of internal peacekeeping more complex.
Essentially what internal peacekeeping entails is a system to identify and censure those that have put genetic lines at risk. Obviously, as our cultures have developed, the systems and codes by which we live by have become almost as complex as the people engaged in those systems. So we have to be able to apply those two principles, to identify and censure, across a wide variety of circumstances. To fully meet the obligation of protection of genetic lines in its care any government must ensure that these identify and censure measure are applied equally. Meaning, the bloke who punches another outside a pub receives the same level of protection and justice as the company that pours sewage into a river, potentially ending numerous genetic lines. For thousands of years, these two principles have been enacted by various forms of government with two agencies. The first, identify, by bodies set up to “police” the genetic lines. The second, censure, by a variety of courts, and censure programs – be they incarceration, rehabilitation, ending a life, token restitution or other “punishments”.
So, essentially, what any form of government is for, in terms of safety for the genetic lines in its care, is to provide protection from those with aggressiveness towards those genetic lines. From outside by providing a security force or security systems. Inside, a body that maintains peace and one that can apply collective censure upon those that breach that “peace”.
Moving onto health.Well this one is so easy, I could almost do it with bullet points. I won’t obviously but I will invoke our ancestors just to add a bit of colour.
When the head group of our environment exploiting extended family were traversing the landscape, what were they looking for? Let’s make a little list… ^now you sound like teacher^
{What?}
^teacher used to make u do lists. lists of kings and lists of animals. lists of liked things and lists if not like things^
^lists are boring^
{They are not boring. They are useful.}
^BORING. teacher teacher teacher^
{Ed, can you came in and get five year old me and take him down to Long Time Memory and Reminiscing so he can watch some old Doctor Whos. Thanks}
Moving on. Top of the “list” is obviously shelter. Somewhere out of the elements, preferably dry. The ability to warm enclosed spaces is one of, if not our greatest achievements.
Fresh water. No two ways about it folks, access to clean water is the right of every species that requires it to maintain its genetic line. All mammals certainly do so we can’t argue that.
Food. Yes I know that there are people and governments around the world that don’t think this is a basic right for all species but they are wrong. Our ancestor group authorities would not have been helping to protect the genetic lines in their care by denying food on general principles.
And that’s it. With these three things readily available and accessible culture and society flourish.
Now let us wind time onward to the cultures that developed post agricultural revolution. One aspect of our need to protect the genetic lines that followed us from some of our earliest ancestors is the need for healthcare. A healthy body is more likely to continue the genetic line or rather, an individual of a genetic line is more able to take that line forward if it is protected harm and/or another intervenes to prevent further deterioration of the individual through injury or disease.
Our trepanning ancestors knew it. The people’s of the Bronze Age knew it. The indigenous peoples across the world knew it. It is understood in the very core of our being. Access to healthcare is a basic human right.**
So where does that leave us? What is the government for?
Protect the genetic lines in its care from threats external and internal and provide safe, secure shelter with easy access to food, clean water and healthcare. As we are primarily sedentary creatures now, defined by our nationality rather than wandering around the planet searching for the next small area to exploit, this means building dwellings connected to a clean, fresh supply of water. Access to food and healthcare are obviously to be accessed outside the dwellings (unless you have a window box or a full surgical suite in the basement).
I would add that another fundamental aspect of humanity that has been with us always is the need to pass on information. Or to put it another way, education and information sharing. Another basic human (cephalopod and corvid) right that must be protected.
So in conclusion…. ^finally^ Governments responsibilities are: To provide protection. To provide dwellings that will ensure the safety*** of the people in their care. To provide access to clean, fresh water, food, education, knowledge and information dissemination, and healthcare.****
Everything else is window dressing.
*search your spam folder at some future date to read my thoughts on whether agriculture or surplus came first. If you really want to of course, I personally wouldn’t read any of this drivel.
** I would say that it is a basic living right but cats don’t go to medical school. I’m not saying non humans do not have the right to healthcare, only that healthcare is only something that can come from humans.
***This includes the right to not freeze to death. With most modern cities adoption of electricity (and in some cases, gas) to provide light and heat for the majority of people, these amenities must be included into the definition of safe and secure with respect to dwellings.
****I know at least one person is going to say, “But all that costs money!” To which I will reply, “Yes I know, but that is a discussion about money, taxation and the very concept of money that I don’t wish to discuss in this article. So I’m not going to.
In the words of Nevyn 