Richard V. Rupp

May 11, 2022

Good Wednesday morning! I'm novelist Richard V. Rupp, writing from Burbank, California. Welcome to RUPP'S NOTES/FBI SPECIAL AGENT HARTMANN SERIES posts.

 

I'm going to start out with the words of Stanford University physicist Andrei Linde -

 

"Our understanding of reality is not complete, by far.

Reality exists independently of us."

 

Because of the chaos in our world today, people have turned off as much as possible traditional reality. Or at least the reality coming from other tribes. Recent surveys have found that people are watching less and less traditional newscasts. Many have replaced conventional reality with their own form of reality in the "metaverse" and the "multiverse." My participation with others in respect to the news includes swearing off watching CNBC based on the performance of my stock portfolio the last few days. This is reality - Gasoline prices hit an all-time high yesterday. According to data published yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the firearm homicide rate in the United States hit its highest level since 1994, jumping by 35 percent in 2020 compared to 2019.

 

Fortunately, as a fiction writer, my mind is taken up by my characters and made-up stories. I have read that many writers interact with their characters. When she was writing THE COLOR OF PURPLE, Alice Walker has said that her characters often visited her, choosing their own actions in her narrative and even commenting – not always favorably – on her life. I am with Alice. I thank God for being able to write and live in a made-up world for a while.

 

The manuscript I'm working on (SKYWARD) has a group of millennials seeking new Earths within the Universe. But will it eventually lead their future generations to seek new Earths in the MULTIVERSE?

 

This is just an afterthought to my manuscript's principal millennial characters (The Bowman Twins and their Clique). Their objective is to colonize the Moon and Mars, but occasionally their minds think about what is beyond. In recent posts, I have addressed the "metaverse." Here are some thoughts on the "multiverse."

 

Is our Universe all that there is? Some say yes, others say no.

 

My simple explanation of the "multiverse" is that it is what may be beyond our Universe.

 

Disney's Marvel Studios' "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" has attracted large audiences. Disney has produced many multiverse movies. The Disney multiverse is a collection of universes, most of which are similar to various different times and places in our world.

 

The best summary I found of what the "multiverse" is about is an article in the NEW YORK TIMES by Paul Davies titled "A Brief History of the Multiverse." This is from that article –

 

* * *

 

"For a start, how is the existence of the other universes to be tested? To be sure, all cosmologists accept that there are some regions of the universe that lie beyond the reach of our telescopes, but somewhere on the slippery slope between that and the idea that there is an infinite number of universes, credibility reaches a limit. As one slips down that slope, more and more must be accepted on faith, and less and less is open to scientific verification. Extreme multiverse explanations are therefore reminiscent of theological discussions. Indeed, invoking an infinity of unseen universes to explain the unusual features of the one we do see is just as ad hoc as invoking an unseen Creator. The multiverse theory may be dressed up in scientific language, but in essence, it requires the same leap of faith."

 

* * *

 

The German philosopher Immanuel Kant suggests that we limit our mind's imposition of fixed 'categories' of knowledge to our own perceptions. The only reality that's perceptible to you is the one you inhabit.

 

In my manuscript for SKYWARD, the Bowman Colony Rules and Guidelines and what they call the Philosophique (resigned wisdom, a certain detachment from realities) comes from the minds of Millennials, Gen X, Gen Y, and Gen Z. Add to this that they are all STEM-educated and are living on the Moon, which places its own restrictions on the things they can do. The STEM education makes them specialists in using logic and rational thinking. Education clearly impacts logic as respects outcomes and provides a strong indicator of attitudes and well-being.

 

The Clique quickly agreed that the Earth has printed laws for just about every circumstance. Even laws for private matters between people. They don't want these restrictions that have overstructured society to the point where freedom has been put into a straitjacket.

 

They also agreed that American society had evolved to the point where it has become disconnected by tribalism and lacks any sense of a common good. While it is good to fight for a belief such as climate change, women's rights, black lives matter, etc. These fights end up being against the common good.

 

They wanted to simply government – no laws, no forms, no permits – just ask "Odin," the master computer – if it doesn't know (suggest a decision), it is sent to senior counsel.

 

It was recognized that the concept of capitalism would not transfer well to space. At least initially. Survival in space requires close teamwork by able-bodied, scientifically oriented humans. Their hope was to establish a self-correcting society and have an unusual workable social structure.

 

They were all brought up in America, though some had been educated abroad. In their initial design of how things would operate, they recognized that they were used to American government concepts. In the Bowman Colony, there were no politicians, and there were no written laws or rules. They hoped what they designed would result not in anarchy but rather a calm, civil way of life-based on rational decisions. Of course, hanging over their heads was the need to work together, or they would all die if something went dramatically wrong. In each of them was a feeling of wanting to create something new and magnificent. They accepted the motto - "Never look back unless you plan to go that way." They recognized that beliefs could make you sick or help you to flourish. The question is, how do you find the correct beliefs?

 

They recognized that they could not change the culture that had evolved on Earth. They wanted to build a culture based on brainpower.

 

They establish limited rules and customs designed to ensure the Colony's survival. Most oriented toward safety, with the understanding the Moon is not a forgiving place to live. Everything else is to be solved logically. If some facts or assumptions are not known or understood, senior counsel members assist in arriving at a logical conclusion.

Rather than a democracy, it is decided what they are developing is a technocracy. Decision-makers are selected based on their expertise in each area of responsibility, particularly scientific or technical knowledge. Therefore, decision-makers are chosen based on specialized knowledge and performance rather than political affiliations, parliamentary skills, or popularity.

 

The term "technocracy" was initially used to signify applying the "scientific method" to solving social problems. Technocracy is an entire government running as a technical or engineering problem in its most extreme form. 

 

In the Bowman Colony, all of the housing, food, and jobs are provided by Colony. There is, at the outset, a self-appointed governor (Norman Bowman). He agrees that he can only be removed by being voted out of office by 60% of the colonist. All of whom have the right to vote. A senior council comprises the governor and all the senior heads of units (i.e., computer center, light industrial plant, heavy industrial plant, farm). There is a single appointed professional judge whose decisions can be overridden by the senior counsel. There is a periodic community town hall meeting where colonists can complain or suggest an improvement to the governor, senior counsel, or judge.

 

In the Colony, everyone is considered equal, and they embrace the Millennial concept of friends with benefits. As an example, they do not embrace the concepts of marriage or divorce. They believe these were based on manmade religious dogma and the discrimination against (men looking down upon) women.

 

Here are a few excerpts from a 2020 PEW RESEARCH REPORT –

• More than half of Millennials are not married.
• Millennials more than likely are living with a romantic partner.
• More than one in ten married Millennials have a spouse of a different racial or ethnic background.

Millennials are more likely than previous generations to marry someone with the same level of education as them.

Earthly religious-based holidays such as Christmas and Easter were not celebrated. But the importance of birthdays was expanded.

 

To increase the population of the Bowman Moon Colony, having children is encouraged. Because of the limited living space, the concept of "it takes a village" applies to how the Colony's children are raised. While parents can care for infant children in their apartment, a community nursery is generally where they sleep and spend their time when the parents are working. They are transferred to community dorms at age two, where the older children take care of the younger ones. Much of their education is virtual, supplemented by a form of apprenticeship. Each child is assigned to a mentor, often one of their parents. But mentors may be changed at any time based on the child's adaptation to the skill being taught.

 

To ensure that they are looking at the big picture, the Colony holds a virtual forum or town hall type meeting every five days called a Philosophique. The Philosophique is designed to be cathartic and motivational. It was also like a town hall meeting where a unit head could seek approval of a proposed change in their operations.

 

While the colony structure was more like a commune, the Clique wanted to avoid stumbling into any commitment to radical or countercultural ways of life. They did not want to turn into a cult.

 

Here's an example of how the Philosphique works. During the Philosphique, the head of the Agricultural Unit indicated that he would like to utilize a "natural reduction" process to increase soil development. Under this process, a deceased's corpse would be decomposed over six months in a chamber his unit would build and combined with natural materials such as corn husks, plant remains, tomato and strawberry plant remains, and microbes. Everyone agreed that this was a great idea.

 

During the Philosphique, there was an encouragement to work your way out of a job by finding a way to replace what you were doing with technology (AI, robots). This would allow a person to find a new opportunity to help themselves and the Colony advance. They also pronounced a goal of having the next generation be better than the last.

 

It was acknowledged that human flourishing is defined as an effort to achieve self-actualization and fulfillment within the context of a larger community of individuals, each with the right to pursue their own such efforts. This only works with an educated society. While a scientifically educated majority may occasionally get it wrong, they are more likely to get it right. The overall good needs to be decided democratically by that society.

 

Some believe there is a God, but not one tied to any manmade religion, even with their scientific backgrounds. Many don't contemplate anything about God, and some are plain atheists. But the fact that none believe in a manmade religion has eliminated a major Earthly problem.

 

Norm recognized the colonists were motivated by what they were accomplishing. Still, they were also becoming bored with their way of life. He looked into the camera and pronounced, "I call the forty-seventh Philosphique to order." Then he continued, "I want to bring up the first subject for today. The Administrative Unit recommends the establishment of an Entertainment Unit and construction of appropriate facilities such as a theater and ice rink."

 

If you wonder how a group of brainiac Millennials will survive together without the help of supporting staff, here's how. While there still are everyday chores like cleaning floors, picking crops, cooking, and serving meals, robotics takes care of the repetitive or heavy work involved. And, it is part of the team concept, which they have bought into.

 

It should be noted that Earth's scientific community is politically liberal. More than half of the scientists (52%) describe their political views as liberal.

 

Voilà! Through logic, the Bowman Colony has an organizational structure.

 

Until next Wednesday,

 

Cheers,

 

Richard V. Rupp, Author

Website – www.richardvrupp.com

Email – rupprisk@gmail.com

Copyright©2022 by Richard V. Rupp