Glen T. Martin

2015

(1) The Holism of the Cosmos and Humanity as the Only Legitimate Source of Government

               The universal principle of order in the universe has come to self-awareness in us. The categories of understanding that synthesize the sensible manifold into an intelligible world are not arbitrarily imposed by a contingent subjectivity of the human mind. Rather, they are the universal principle of order by which the sensible manifold is organized and exists.

               This universal principle is manifest in multiple levels of holism in which all particulars exist in relation to the multiple wholes of which they are part. Humanity is thus one whole, and in turn exists within the wholes of our planetary ecology and the intelligible cosmos.

               The holism of humanity implies self-governance of humanity, governance premised on the human whole and dealing with all individuals, cultures, and the rest of human diversity as equal and dignified parts of the whole. In a world of internal relationships and interdependencies, fragmentation (the failure to recognize our holism) spells death and destruction: death through endless wars and interminable conflicts and destruction of the natural world that sustains us.

(2) Sovereignty of the People of Earth

Because human beings are a whole, they require a single unitary government to represent their unity in diversity. Government is, therefore, sovereign only as the legitimate representative of the people of Earth. A government is not sovereign because it represents some portion of the people of Earth. A governmental entity with authority over a certain territory must derive its legitimate authority through being a local representative of the people of Earth.

               Under the Westphalian system of so-called “sovereign” nation-states, no government has legitimacy because no government represents all the people of Earth. The concept of limited legitimate sovereignty within a federal structure cannot arise until the universal federation is in place in which each territorial unit legitimately derives its local authority from the people of Earth.

               At present the concept of sovereign nations is used to indicate the fragmented system of territorial governments. This concept of sovereignty cannot be used as a basis for arguing that these nations need to federate and convert to “limited sovereignty.”  For this concept of sovereignty from which they begin is illegitimate.  Its very definition militates against the true sovereignty of the people of Earth. It gives these territorial entities autonomy over their internal affairs and independence in their external affairs, both of which are illegitimate because they directly deny the sovereignty of the people of Earth. They deny the holism of the people of Earth.

               Under a federal system, neither of these features of the false notion of sovereignty will exist. Administrative regions will have only limited authority over their territories (they cannot violate the laws of the federation of Earth) and they will have only very little independence in external affairs (since they are now no longer autonomous fragments but part of an integrated whole). “Very little independence” does not mean lack of relationships in external affairs. Their relationships with other parts of the whole of humanity will be rich, abiding, and fulfilling.

               Hence, we must first eliminate sovereignty in the sense of absolute authority over territorial fragments of the Earth and recognize the legitimate sovereignty of the people of Earth.  Once this is done we may wish to speak of “limited sovereignty” in the sense that administrative regions derive their authority from the whole of the Earth Federation, which in turn derives its authority from the sovereignty of the people of Earth.  But at present, it is perfectly sound to argue that we must eliminate the system of so-called “sovereign” nations are replace this system with the Constitution for the Federation of Earth, for the Westphalian concept of “sovereignty” is disastrous for all of humanity and the future of our precious planet Earth.