In the realm of thought experiments that challenge our notions of identity, governance, and human potential, few are as captivating as what I’ve come to call “The Impossible Scenario.” Imagine this: Earth is doomed. Von Neumann machines—self-replicating robots—are consuming our planet. But in this darkest hour, a benevolent galactic empire of machine intelligences offers humanity salvation.
The Great Migration
The terms are simple yet profound: take a pill that scans and copies your mind and DNA. Your digital essence enters a Database of Humanity while you await “zapping” to one of three pristine planets in a distant solar system. These aren’t small worlds—each is 2.5 times Earth’s size with 1.5g gravity, capable of eventually supporting 20 billion humans apiece.
But here’s the twist that transforms this from mere evacuation to profound experiment: humanity must bootstrap civilization from scratch. We bring our knowledge, our cultures, our histories—but we build anew.
The Paradox of Abundance
At the heart of this scenario lies what I call “the paradox of abundance.” Sometimes having too much creates challenges as significant as having too little. Three vast planets. Eight billion people. Countless cultural divisions. How do we prevent humanity from simply recreating its old divisions and conflicts when given such expansive new worlds?
This abundance of space and resources could lead to fragmentation rather than unity. Different groups might claim different regions and develop in isolation, recreating the silos and tensions of Earth. Or worse, compete aggressively for the prime territories despite the abundance available.
The paradox is that without scarcity forcing cooperation, we might never learn to truly unite.
The American Plan
After much consideration, I believe the most viable solution is what I’ve named “The American Plan.” It works like this:
- Initial Seeding: 100 million Americans establish initial settlements on each planet
- Infrastructure Development: These pioneers build the fundamental structures of civilization—governance, infrastructure, communication networks
- Graduated Integration: The remaining billions of humans gradually join these established frameworks over decades
- Cultural Evolution: The “American” foundation evolves into something truly pan-human
This isn’t about American cultural imperialism. Rather, it’s about using an established social and governmental framework as scaffolding—necessary during construction but eventually becoming less visible as the new human civilization takes form.
What makes this approach powerful is the transformation of identity it requires from Americans themselves. They must surrender their exceptional status to become the foundation of humanity’s new beginning. “American” would evolve from national identity to something more like “founding population”—a historical designation rather than a cultural one.
The Great Sorrow
The migration would begin with a solemn ceremony across all three planets—”The Great Sorrow.” This synchronized ritual would acknowledge the trauma of Earth’s loss while consecrating humanity’s new beginning. Religious and political leaders would offer benedictions bridging our past and future.
This ceremony would establish a new human calendar, create repositories of Earth’s cultural heritage, and formally commit the American settlers to serving as stewards rather than owners of humanity’s new beginning.
Governance Across the Stars
Uniting three planets presents unprecedented governance challenges. My vision includes a solar system President elected by direct democracy, alongside a Prime Minister chosen by a proportionally elected Diet. Governor-generals would administer each planet, with “domains” (rather than provinces) managed by appointed officials.
This structure balances unified leadership with representative governance—critical for maintaining cohesion across vast distances while respecting regional needs.
Our Machine Guardians
In this scenario, humanity wouldn’t face the cosmos alone. An Artificial Superintelligence would serve as our protector and interlocutor with the galactic empire of machine intelligences. This relationship adds another fascinating dimension: humanity reinventing itself under the watchful care of benevolent machines, perhaps learning to transcend the very flaws that nearly led to our extinction.
The Ultimate Test
The Impossible Scenario is ultimately about second chances. Given pristine worlds and the knowledge of our past mistakes, could humanity build something better? Would we repeat our divisions and conflicts, or would we finally recognize our fundamental unity?
What makes this thought experiment so compelling is that it forces us to confront uncomfortable questions about human nature itself. Are our divisions inevitable expressions of our diversity, or are they historical accidents we could transcend under the right conditions?
If Earth were truly lost tomorrow and we found ourselves in this scenario, what would we choose? Would we have the wisdom and courage to build a truly united human civilization? Or would we squander our second chance?
The answer, I suspect, says as much about our present as it does about our hypothetical future.
