When Simon heard Phillip's question, he nodded without hesitation: "Of course."
Everyone seemed to be listening attentively.
Simon sorted out his thoughts and said: "First of all, even if we think that we are one step ahead of all species on this planet, there is no objection to the fact that humans are group creatures, right?"
Several people around him didn't know why, but they still nodded.
Simon said: "In nature, we are not the only ones who are gregarious creatures. They are as small as ants and as large as wolves. And all these gregarious creatures have a very distinctive feature. Do you know what it is?"
At the dining table.
James and Carol looked at each other and said nothing. The other two young men were seriously considering their appearance. Soon, Phillip subconsciously said: "Class."
Nora glanced at her boyfriend and then turned to Simon.
Simon shrugged and said with a smile: "This is obviously an unflattering word, right?"
The two young men nodded together. After realizing it, they felt something was wrong, but they didn't explain it.
Simon said: "The problem is that this is exactly a key to solving problems in human society. Just like the most typical ant colony, with a clear division of labor, the queen ant, worker ants, soldier ants, etc., circulate their missions in an orderly manner, so This has allowed this species to continue to thrive on the earth for hundreds of millions of years."
At this point, everyone actually understands what Simon wants to say. It’s still the same outrageous argument: Human beings need class.
However, no one had any explicit intention of being hanged.
After hesitating for a moment, Nora spoke first: “Simon, there is a big problem with this.”
Simon also nodded: "Of course, and it is a very big problem. Just like ants, they do not have as complex thoughts as humans, and do not have as diverse desires as humans, so they can perform their own duties. The most important thing is that their queen ants "We will not be like the heads of state of the former Soviet Union, who took out maps as soon as they came to power, spent national finances to build sanatoriums for themselves everywhere, and even used the army."
Philip said: "Then, Simon, this is obviously not a solution."
"No, this is it," Simon said: "For example, let's take the Rust Belt as an example. To solve the problems in the Rust Belt, the authorities must cooperate, capital must cooperate, and the people in the Rust Belt must also cooperate, even outside the Rust Belt. The regions also need to cooperate. Then, Washington will provide revitalization policies and financial support, the auto giants will sign back the factories, and the people must also take the initiative to accept lower wages and abandon harsh labor regulations. As long as they do this, hehe, It's simple, isn't it? Because everyone actually knows what to do. Then, the Rust Belt can be revived. The problem now is that the relevant parties are not willing to do this. So, this requires a strong enough The, um, ant queen is here to bridge the differences, and even if any party is unwilling to cooperate, the ant queen needs to introduce mandatory measures to force them to implement it."
Phillip nodded slightly and said softly: "The problem is, Simon, how do you ensure that this 'Queen Ant' will do the right thing in the right direction after it has enough power, instead of taking out a map and giving it everywhere?" Build your own sanatorium?”
Simon shook his head: "I can't guarantee it, everyone can only take a gamble."
I was a little stunned when I sat down now.
Simon didn't wait for their response and shrugged again: "Many people think that the federal system is the best. However, in fact, some people have always pointed out that this is not the case. The federal system can only ensure that things will not go as far as possible. It’s going in a bad direction, but it also leads to a lot of things not going in the best direction.”
James finally spoke: "This is a dead end."
Nora frowned. She no longer had the confidence in her country that Simon had when he initially raised the topic. Instead, she became more worried: "Simon, could it be that, I mean, if the Great Depression of 1929 happens again, wouldn't it be the worst outcome?"
The others said nothing and looked at Simon again.
Simon shook his head: "Of course not. As a complete pessimist, frankly speaking, the destruction of mankind is the worst outcome in my imagination. Moreover, it is destruction caused by human self-action, not because of the natural consequences of a comet hitting the earth." disaster."
Philip said: "Simon, you mean, nuclear war?"
This is not difficult to guess. After all, they are the core circle of the Westeros system, and many of Simon's layouts are also known here.
Simon nodded: "Yes, nuclear war."
Nora said: "I don't think a nuclear war will break out. Everyone knows that there will be no winner in a nuclear war."
Simon looked at the girl across the dining table: "Do you know the black stone theory?"
Nora hummed: "The problem is, the black stone is so obvious, who would be willing to pick it up, right?"
"What is the greatest characteristic of human history?" Simon asked the question, and then directly asked and answered it: "Contingency. Human history has many inevitable trends, but what really drives the progress of history is not all natural inevitabilities, but Countless accidents, such as the sudden death of a king who was working hard to govern, the sudden severe cold in a war, or an inconspicuous 9 mm Browning M1900 pistol. Now, it is exactly the same, almost everyone thinks that nuclear weapons It seems inevitable that war will not break out, but, again, there are only some inevitable trends in history, and what drives it forward are countless accidents. Let’s talk about the Black Stone theory just now, Black Stone is of course obvious , rational people will not pick it up, the problem is that in most cases, we are actually picking up pebbles with our eyes closed, this is the accident of history."
Silence again.
After a while, Carol, who had not spoken much, finally said: "Simon, this matter is too heavy. You have scared Norah. Let's go back to the topic just now, shall we?"
Nora was indeed a little scared, because she also realized that maybe Simon's perception was correct, but she was a little embarrassed to be said so by her prospective mother-in-law, and she also felt a little competitive, so she took the initiative to continue: "Simon, so, regarding the topic just now, I think you should be able to push for some changes now. You obviously also want to make changes. So, are you going to do it?"
Simon shook his head without thinking: "I can't do it."
Noila was really surprised: “Why?”
Simon said: "I remember, the last person who planned to make a lot of changes to the Federation, well, his skull was ripped off."
Everyone: "..."
John F. Kennedy was undoubtedly the most reform-minded president in modern federal history after Roosevelt. However, during his tenure, he ultimately accomplished very few things. In addition to successfully solving the Cuban Missile Crisis, this actually did not count as a change. Then there's the push for the Civil Rights Act.
As a result, subsequent presidents, especially Democratic presidents, found that the civil rights card was the least risky, so they played it again and again, while avoiding other issues that really touched the core.
Phillip looked at his brother-in-law expectantly: "Simon, is it really a deadlock?"
To everyone's surprise, Simon also shook his head again and said: "If we cannot reasonably introduce a 'Queen', and if we are lucky enough to get a 'Queen' who is super capable and selfless, then the Federation will finally The good outcome is to repeat what happened in 1929. In the process of overturning, all the injured classes put aside their differences and make changes together. Of course, it is best to cooperate with a president like Roosevelt."
James nodded slightly, but couldn't help but said: "Still pessimistic."
Nora said: “Simon, then, are we really unable to do anything?”
"I'm working on it," Simon said with a gentle smile: "If the 3G plan can really achieve a breakthrough and promote another technological revolution, not only the federation, but the entire human society can once again enjoy the dividends of innovation for a long time. "
Nora persisted: "So, what about after 'a long time'?"
"I hope that the Westeros system will be able to realize space immigration to the moon and even Mars by then," Simon said: "Mainly for our own family, and, more grandly, no matter what happens in the future, it can be preserved for human civilization. Some fire.”