My vision of a flourishing future earth assumes some system of global governance that precludes war and requires conformance on environmental and related issues of vital concern to the planet as a whole. The current nation state system would continue under a federal authority with limited powers, guaranteeing the constituent states considerable autonomy, and allowing wide diversity in manners, customs, and political organization. Basic human rights should be ensured primarily by guaranteeing every individual the right, and ability, to emigrate to a different and more compatible society, if that individual chose to do so. This would largely eliminate the problem of “who guards the guardians” and encourage continued evolution of human cultures based on competition between many diverse elements. It also has the advantage of being a realistic possible outcome of present trends and conditions.

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Carl Coon is a retired US Ambassador and Advisory Panel Member of the American Humanist Association (AHA). He is also the author of “Humanism and the Future Evolution of Religion” in The Evolution of Religion: Studies, Theories, and Critiques published by the Collins Foundation Press.