"Symbiocracy": The Structuring of New Societies in Space Based on the Principles of Mutualism and Symbiotization

In the absence of any pre-existing social infrastructures in Space—as well as inhabiting an environment from which we did not evolve—the crucial role of any proposed social institution will be above all the survival of the first Space settlers. Therefore all factors critical to survival must be exhaustively identified and considered, as any oversights could result in extinction of the settlement. The social institutions that currently exist on Earth will not be viable for Space societies, as there is no existing social infrastructure to build upon, and physical conditions are not like anything we have evolved from or have experienced before. Unlike on Earth, the model for life in Space must be developed as a seminal one. This initial pioneer community will be in effect the Noah’s Ark to the solar system. The purpose of this paper is to argue that prevailing social structures based on hierarchy, competition, and conquest must be cast aside in favour of models based exclusively on a cooperative and collaborative system of networks. No longer can we think in terms of conquering Space, but instead co-habitating with it. The notion of symbiocracy, derived from a combination of the biological processes of symbiosis and the socio-political principles of democracy, will be central to this model. It is a form of governance which acknowledges not the right to happiness, but the necessity of all living things to seek fulfillment; it doesn’t promote survival but robustness. And unlike current models of democracy which are based on the assumption of equality, symbiocracy is founded instead on the premise of vitality. Venturing into Space will instead give humanity the extraordinary opportunity to design new ways of living which could never have been feasible on Earth.