Quote:
Originally Posted by danielpalos
What do you think of a hypothetical, US of Earth, with a constitution similar to the US Constitution; but with an amendment based on the theory of nullification (i.e. a formal mechanism for enforcing the Tenth Amendment), as a states' right?
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Part of what makes nations unified is a common social theme. These themes are usually measured against other social themes. Comparison is a vital part of a group's identity. It allows people to isolate the differences that make them unique. When you don't have such a source for comparison, it's more difficult to assert your identity.
Let's say I live in Miami. If I were to go to Jacksonville and happened to meet someone from my hometown, I'd feel an instant sense of comraderie. I wouldn't even have to know the person beforehand. Just knowing we were from the same town would be enough to make for a friendly chat. I wouldn't feel that sense of comraderie with the people from Jacksonville even though we were all from Florida.
Now imagine I traveled across the country to California and met someone from my Jacksonville. I would feel yet another sense of comraderie with that person because we would share a common state. But if I happened to meet that person in Jacksonville, I wouldn't feel that way. It's only when I'm outside the bounds of my own state that I feel that way toward another member of my state.
Take it one step further. If I were to travel to another France, I would feel a sense of comraderie with a Californian because we share a common country. I wouldn't feel that way if I were visiting California. But because we shared something in common
while in a different place, we feel some sort of connection.
At every step, in order to feel that connection, you need something to compare yourself to. If the world was one giant country, it wouldn't matter because there's no one outside the world to compare ourselves to. If we were to travel to another planet and meet those inhabitants, then there would probably be some sense of fraternity among people of different nations. But we have nothing beyond our world.
There is no common social theme that ties together the people of the world because there is nothing out there that is different enough to make us see our similarities. Countries can only exist when there are more than one.