Introduction
What does our future entail? This is the essential question at the root of all political discourse — the discussion of future societies. So we need to ask ourselves what these futures entail. There is a crucial concept we must first realize when discussing the societies of the future, the dichotomy of Realistic progress vs. Anti-Realistic progress. Naturally, the debate centers around what is realistically possible to occur. However, in reality, this is antithetical to the debate. The progress of all hitherto existing societies is not Realistic. Instead, it is Anti-Realistic. Imagine speaking to a person from 500 years ago and telling them about the internet. It would be impossible for them to grasp. If a theorist during that period predicted the internet, everybody would call them insane; they would say that their predictions aren’t realistic in the slightest. If you told them that every person on earth would be connected via boxes that flow electricity in a particular manner to do so, that would be impossible to realize. Because of the elements of the time, it was Anti-Realistic. But despite that, it occurred anyway, and this is because history doesn’t move Realistically; it moves in a current of Anti-Realistic progress. Therefore when discussing what the future entails, we must not limit ourselves to thinking of what is currently possible or nearly possible. We must not limit ourselves to Realistic progress; we must think Anti-Realistically.
Part 1: The Collapse of Civilization
This is the first step towards societies of the future, the downfall and the total collapse of Civilization as we know it. But what is Civilization in the first place? Civilization is a complex society with Social Institutions, Government, and all elements of what make up the world that we know. This is distinct and separate from society, which is simply the sum of various individual interactions. Civilization is naturally bound with contradictions, most exemplified in the suppression of the Individual. When the Individual is suppressed, whether it be by Government, by Religion, by School, and so on, the Individual becomes Alienated from their natural state, the natural state of being an Individualistic being. Civilization is not natural; Civilization is the Antithesis of nature. All institutions that seem natural are radically unnatural. The natural state of humanity is to be an individual. To not be grasped by any Social Institution, not to be grasped by Civilization. In reality, we are born to survive and repopulate. We are animals. It is not our natural state to be forced into these schools, controlled by these governments, be grasped by the Neurosis of societal pressure. However, in Civilization, this is all thrown out of the window. The Individual’s natural state is suppressed, and they are practically brainwashed into thinking this is their natural state. This is in an inherent contradiction with the reality of our nature, our Individuality. This contradiction produces conflict, and this conflict will lead to the total collapse of Civilization. So why hasn’t it happened yet?
Because the material conditions haven’t been available to do so, this contradiction is not civilization-ending in itself; only when Civilization is made obsolete does this contradiction produce conflict. And as we are speaking, Civilization is being made obsolete. The Acceleration of Technology is going to make (and has made) certain aspects of Civilization entirely obsolete. Before we know it, this is going to happen to all of Civilization. Right now, with the emergence of Automated Labor, work is becoming obsolete. Soon enough, work won’t exist anymore. There will be machines to do everything better and more efficiently than humans ever could. So what would a Post-Work Civilization look like? This is unanswerable because Civilization cannot exist without Societal Labor. Government will become obsolete because the role of the Government as an enforcer of Societal Control will phase out in the Automation of Society. Government only exists and only emerged to regulate labor. Tribal societies only developed early forms of Government because they needed to regulate labor efficiently. So when labor becomes entirely unregulatable and human labor obsolete, then the Government will phase out of existence.
Furthermore, another aspect of Civilization that will pile onto this and be a determining factor behind the collapse of Civilization is Climate Change. There is a sizeable ecological aspect to the collapse of Civilization. Climate Anxiety will further empower the contradictions of Civilization. It will encourage the Individual to rise, and the overproduction, over-exhaustion, and overall ecological stress that Civilization places on nature will lead to the soon-coming demise of itself. All of these aspects will pile onto each other, every role of Civilization, every aspect of it, will cease to exist. It is leading to only one option: The Total Collapse of Civilization.
Part 2: New Society
Now that Civilization has collapsed, what is next? How will society rebuild itself? How will society function when Civilization has collapsed, and all aspects of a ‘functioning’ society have become obsolete? Society will be rebuilt off the ideals of Free Association, Free Time, and Free Individuality. We will return to our nature, and the unnatural aspects of Civilization will no longer grasp us. Instead, we will act Individualistically and freely associate with other individuals. As well, all time that we have will be times of leisure, ‘Free Time’ you could say. It is true that in our future societies, in our New Society bound by Individualistic Communism, ‘Communism is Free Time and nothing else!’ This is how our societies will rebuild; this is what our ‘New Society’ will be. The purely Liberated society, free of all Social control. A natural state of Leisure, Pleasure, and Individuality; How our nature is intended. But let it be known, when referring to ‘Natural State,’ we do not mean Primitivism. Primitivism entails an Anti-Technological society. In a Post-Civilization New Society, we will still utilize Technology, even encourage Technology. But we will not be the ones in control of Technology, and the Technology will be a bystander, which we will utilize to distribute resources. For example, Food will be provided by Technology, and no human labor will be put into producing it. Food will be distributed equally among all people, not according to bourgeois ideals of ‘deservedness’ or ‘how hard you worked for it.’ In a society of leisure, there will be no measurement of labor to determine the distribution of resources. This is not a primitive society but rather a uniquely technological one — a uniquely new Society, a society past Civilization, not behind it.
Conclusion
Society is headed towards collapse; there is nothing we can do about it. We shouldn’t try to slow it down or speed it up, but rather sit back and enjoy the total collapse of Civilization. This collapse will not be a sad thing, and it will not be a fearful thing. It will be a liberating thing. It will accelerate us into an ideal future, a future free of the Neurosis that Societal Structures hold us in.
And to the Critics that say it is an Idealistic future, Yes. This is not a realistic notion of what future societies will be like, but that is a good thing. History moves in a current of Anti-Realism, Anti-Realistic progress. To accurately describe our future, we must think not in the limits of Realism, but through the liberating ideals of Anti-Realism, we must think Anti-Realistically.
When will this collapse occur? That is hard to answer, but based on current society's trends, we will likely see a collapse within the next few decades, so that is something to look forward to. However, I cannot promise that we will reach this idealistic New Society within our lifetimes, but regardless we will still see the beginning of a new society. We are at the end of history. And that is an Ecstatic feeling. Revel in this feeling, and adore it while it lasts.
