Classical Values :: Experiments In Government

March 13, 2009

Experiments In Government Sea Steading

There are plans afoot for a floating city off the coast of San Francisco.

A floating city off the coast of San Francisco may sound like science fiction, but it could be reality in the not-too-distant future.
The Seasteading Institute already has drawn up plans for the construction of a homestead on the Pacific Ocean.

One project engineer described the prototype as similar to a cruise ship, but from a distance the cities might look like oil-drilling platforms.

That is very interesting. But it is not the most interesting part of the plan.

According to the plans, the floating cities would not only look different from their land-based counterparts, but they might operate differently, too.

Patri Friedman, a former Google engineer who now works for the Seasteading Institute, said floating cities are the perfect places to experiment with new forms of government.

Some of the new political ideas the group is tossing around include legalizing marijuana and making intellectual property communal -- so that everyone would take ownership in art produced on the city at sea.

"The idea isn't just about getting away from rules or getting rid of rules. It's about a system that encourages experimentation with different political systems," he said.

Now that sounds very libertarian to me. And being of a libertarian persuasion myself I find the whole idea very appealing.

In the late 1880s people were lamenting the closing of the American frontier. This could portend the opening of a new American frontier. I wonder if they have considered the need for a Navy for protection from pirates?

And what will they do for power? Too bad they can't buy a Bussard Fusion Reactor off the shelf.

Bussard's IEC Fusion Technology (Polywell Fusion) Explained
Why hasn't Polywell Fusion been fully funded by the Obama administration?

You can learn even more about the project at The Seasteading Institute.

And if you want to read a science fiction story about floating cities may I suggest A Floating City by Jules Verne.

Cross Posted at Power and Control

posted by Simon on 03.13.09 at 02:13 AM

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Comments

I'm puzzled that shared ownership of property (intellectual or otherwise) strikes you as libertarian. It sounds rather communitarian to me.

Here's an experiment worth trying: stop designing societies. There's no reason to make things legal (e.g. marijuana) unless you've already made it illegal. We don't need experimentation. We just need less government.

Dennis · March 13, 2009 09:29 AM

Dennis,

It is just one idea. Let 1,000 flowers bloom.

And sure. Less government. I think that competition might move that along.

M. Simon · March 13, 2009 10:05 AM

Or maybe the IP idea is just a cover. Maybe they are really planning to export pot to prohibitionist countries.

M. Simon · March 13, 2009 10:07 AM

Will it have Humming Fish?

http://www.science-frontiers.com/sf042/sf042p20.htm

Larry Sheldon · March 13, 2009 10:09 AM

It's very libertarian. In case you didn't realize, the guy running this is Patri Friedman, as in the son of noted anarchocapitalist David Friedman and grandson of Nobel laureate Milton Friedman.

What makes it libertarian is that you can have you own private seastead, and hook up to a seastead city for shared infrastructure and economies of scale. If the city becomes too controlling though, you'd be free to float your seastead elsewhere. Geographic independence would let you government shop.

Pax · March 13, 2009 10:59 AM

I'm puzzled that shared ownership of property (intellectual or otherwise) strikes you as libertarian. It sounds rather communitarian to me.

I find it to be a libertarian idea because intellectual property isn't property. It's a government created and enforced monopoly. You have the rights to your own thoughts -- as long as you keep them inside your own head. Once they enter my head, what right do you have to tell me what I can't think? You had the idea first (or ran to the Government Idea Office faster than me) so now I can't think it?

Phelp · March 13, 2009 11:02 AM

The original project was called Atlantis. It was the brainchild of those associated with anarcho-libertarian J. Orlin Grabbe.
It was a gigantic flop. Like in scam artist flop. Those who contributed to it lost, big time. I believe the original name was Oceania.
As I recall it was envisioned as a connected series of floating cities in the Pacific.

A much more realistic result of the collectivism descending upon us all, is the retreat into a mind created world.
We will all be forced to find our "happy space" as the world around us becomes a replay of the Dark Ages.

Frank · March 14, 2009 12:37 AM

Read Jerry Pournelle's "Oath of Fealty "for independant cities- good story

RAH · March 15, 2009 06:59 PM