As a species, our greatest achievement has been the ability to conceptualise, to formulate ideas. Without which we would be akin to all other earthlings. There are those, on the fringe of ideas, that consider our place on the planet to be one of external placement. That we as 'humans' are not originated from the evolution of this planet. That we may have arrived from elsewhere to populate what was then a lush fertile planet. That ancient civilisations once flourished until a cataclysmic event rest the planet. But that is speculation, and born out of our greatest achievement, the formulation of ideas.
This achievement has enabled language, the understanding of the expression of emotions, the great sciences, the wonder of imagination. It has brought destruction, death and suffering. It has rendered some geniuses and others insane. This great achievement originates within our brain, a brain that is derived from the interaction of a single sperm and single egg.
Yet if all that is, is only an idea, a conception, surely we have not yet reached our greatest achievement, the pinnacle of our potential. If all that we are is based on our ideas and has determined us for hundreds of thousands of years, have we had our greatest idea yet? Have we reached the point where we can collect the sum of all our ideas and produce the greatest idea ever?
We have over time attempted many forms of governance. All of which have failed. There have been varieties of the same idea, but given different form. Reinventing the wheel and proclaiming it as new. There are only two main ideas that we revolve and reinvent. They compete, adjust, adapt and evolve. But they are manifestations of the same basic conception. There have been many names attributed to them, modern variants include, good and evil, left and right, liberal and conservative.
They have been a part of every system we have created. Feudalism, imperialism, fascism, dictatorship, democracy, autocracy, republicanism and all the rest. They have held sway over the concept of law, be it natural, divine or legal. These two ideas remain illusive from our consciousness, but effect every aspect of our lives. We are unable to conclusively name them, yet we use them every day.
Is our world so messed up, because we have not had our greatest idea yet? Have we been improving our ideas to enable our greatest idea? To show sceptics that our greatest idea is yet to be conceived, I'll demonstrate through analogy.
We as a specie and a plant, in the early 21st century, face two huge problems. Both are so significant and with many resulting issues that they are likely to cause destruction beyond most people's imagination. Firstly, climate change and secondly, overpopulation. Both are problems in their own right with experts in both areas. However, what is the name given to the sum of both problems? When you add climate change and overpopulation together what is that problem called? It is an idea without definition, it is an idea yet to be conceived in full, as is our greatest idea yet.
Will our greatest idea be the sum of all our ideas of how we should live, determine our laws, morality, our interaction with others and the planet as a whole? Collecting all our ideas and formulating the sum of them all, to achieve something that combines both overarching ideas and satisfies them both?
Will our greatest idea ever be formulated? Or will it be superseded by the formulation of the idea of our greatest problem, the sum of climate change and overpopulation?