Memo from Captain Krik of the Starship "Entrepreneur"
Prior to our most recent case, of which details are given below, this voyage has been extremely successful. No fewer than five habitable but practically unoccupied planets which offer useful supplies of raw materials have been discovered. In addition, we encountered two planets where the life-forms have attained a moderately high level of social organisation. Both offer abundant labour power, and one may well become a leading holiday attraction in view of its varied scenery. In neither case do we anticipate any difficulty in persuading the inhabitants to accept our guidance and control: not only is their technological level far inferior to ours, but there is significant discontent on both worlds. An offer of a higher standard of living plus a harmonious social order in exchange for minimal amounts of labour and raw materials would, if appropriately presented, be bound to be attractive.
This brings us, however, to the case mentioned earlier. I refer here to object 7UN/4WS. a nondescript but ore-rich planet and one of nine circling a nondescript star. After orbiting around it and performing initial linguistic and anthropological study, we as usual sent agent Itocs down to the surface to live among its inhabitants for a short period. His adventures there were so singular that I feel it is worth quoting some extracts from his report. Itocs first made acquaintance with a person who gave him a lift to the nearest city; he naturally used the opportunity to enquire about the local social set-up.
"There was an awkward period," writes Itocs. "during which I discovered that my companion had no conception of government and was moreover curious as to how I could have developed the expectation that such would exist”. I muttered something about having been in an isolated part of the globe for some time, which seemed to convince him. Surely, though, there was some means for making collective decisions about matters of common interest, I asked him.
' "Oh yes," he replied, "there are local meetings where everyone discusses issues and decides on them. We also elect representatives to the regional bodies which debate questions like building new roads or something. And there's an organisation above regional level, too, for even wider issues."
"That sounds like a government", I suggested.
' "Well," came the reply, "we call it the EC. though I don't think anyone knows what the initials stand for, or if they stand for anything. To tell the truth, it doesn't need to meet very often — people just run things for themselves."
'Once we reached the city, my companion, seeing how much of a stranger I must be, offered to show me round. I had realised by this time that it would be wise to say as little as possible and to show no surprise at whatever might transpire. So over our excellent lunch I mostly just listened to my companion's chatter. I had determined to act as much like him as possible, so at the end of the meal I simply followed him out of the restaurant without making any attempt to pay for the food. I was more than half expecting to be accosted by an irate manager, but nobody chased after us. It was the same when we collected some food and various household items — no payment and no objections.
' "I must leave you now." said my companion. "I am going to work."
'I managed to ask, in as roundabout way as possible, in order not to show myself up, why he was going to work when goods were freely available.
'He looked perplexed. “I don't see the connection. If people didn't produce them, there obviously wouldn't be any goods. But how could their being freely available be a reason for not working?"
"Couldn't someone who didn't work take the same amount of goods as you?"
'This had plainly never occurred to him. "I suppose so, but why would anyone not work? I don't see what you're getting at."
' "Then answer me one last question. What name do you give to this social system?"
'Again he looked mystified. "We don't call it anything, it's just the way we live, and the way we have lived for generations. If we wanted a name. I supposed we'd call it life." '
Wherever he travelled on the planet. Itocs found the same situation. All goods were freely available, so nobody starved and there were no rich and poor. The farms and factories belonged to no one, and there was nothing that could be called government. Not that everyone was happy the whole time. There were still arguments and individual antagonisms, but no socially-caused dissatisfaction.
This of course raises a problem for our strategy towards this planet and its inhabitants. While our civilisation outstrips theirs technologically, it is hard to see how we could convince them that we were offering an improved way of life. The alternative of a military conquest seems to me out of the question. We have only ever used this against a recalcitrant minority, to use it against the entire population of a planet, even one without armed forces, is surely unacceptable.
I suggest, therefore, that this planet not be colonised in any way. Instead, its unique form of social organisation should be kept under constant observation, albeit from a distance. It is hardly surprising that this eccentric type of society should not have developed elsewhere in the known universe, but we should at least keep a close eye on it.
Paul Bennett
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