Intelligent Life Philosophy and Cosmology Geopolitics/Science/Technology (Coming of Age-Launching New Age) United Albedo Regions on Earth (UARE) "It (Darwinism) proclaimed that our true relation is that of competitors and combatants in a struggle for mere survival . . ." - George Bernard Shaw. "We are particularly interested in the science of prosocial emotions, including moral elevation, compassion, empathy, and altruism." - The Saturn Lab, Sarina Saturn, Director, Oregon State University, USA. "USGS LCI (Land Cover Institute) is a focal point for advancing the science, knowledge, and applications of land use and land cover information." - USGS LCI, USA. "The historian of science may be tempted to claim that when paradigms change, the world itself changes with them." - in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas S. Kuhn, 1962, 2nd ed. 1970). -------------------------------------------- The Forelaws Principle posits that empathy and compassion, seated within the genome of humankind and all intelligent life (INTL), are universal forelaws and empirical attributes of cosmic genealogy, unique to, and definitive of, humankind and all intelligent life.   Its legitimacy and character affirmed from infinity to infinity by evolutionary empathy and compassion, The Forelaws Principle unites intelligent life on all planets with intelligent life, imbuing with meaning and purpose cosmic genealogy and the cosmic community of intelligent life.   The Forelaws Principle, without diminishing other exemplars of evolutionary empathy and compassion, highlights, cosmically, cosmic dissemination of intelligent life by intelligent life (CDIL), and, locally, intelligent life albedo regions (INTLAR).   CDIL, operating in a cosmic setting where no two star systems with intelligent life (in terms of solar radiation) are exactly the same, explains "races" (superficial genomics before amalgamation) in the makeup of intelligent life.  INTLAR achieves and sustains benign energy-weather-climate stability (albedoism).   The Forelaws Principle and cosmic genealogy - part and parcel of naturalistic Nature ("everything is connected to everything else") - coalesce as intelligent life philosophy and cosmology. Cosmic genealogy has assumed greater prominence in human consciousness following the merger of astronomy and biology (astrobiology) - beginning in the 1970s and 1980s with pioneering research on organic matter in space conducted by astronomers Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) and Chandra Wickramasinghe (currently director of Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology, UK).   Brig Klyce, since 1996, has chronicled this departure from previous approaches to life's origin on Earth as author and theorist of cosmic ancestry in the website Cosmic Ancestry.   Intelligent life philosophy and cosmology compels heightened interest in cosmic phenomena including particularly the role of comets and related materials as apparent/specific DNA carriers, and in "homeless planets" (that have been ejected from orbiting a star or were originally formed on their own) possibly outnumbering stars (T. Sumi et al 2011).  Answering the deep human need to know from whence we came, the search for parent planets of humankind (SPPH), and Earth's destiny as a parent planet of intelligent life, add important and creative dimensions to human endeavor and fulfillment.   Albedoism, NASA's Kepler, Terra and Mars Curiosity missions, ethnicity revisited, the merger of astronomy and biology (astrobiology), and discovery thus far of over 3000 exoplanets, provide tangible inertia, and evidence of human capability, for paradigms change consistent with evolutionary empathy and compassion. "Life comes from space because life comes from life." - Brig Klyce, Director, Astrobiology Research Trust, USA. "Universities throughout the world are beginning to see astrobiology as a way forward to understand our place in the Universe." - Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology, UK. "Mathematics addresses only a part of human experience.  Much of human experience does not fall under science or mathematics but under the philosophy of value, including ethics, aesthetics, and political philosophy.   To assert that the world can be explained via mathematics amounts to an act of faith." - Richard Hamming (1915-1998), American mathematician and computer scientist. "Ethics is nothing other than Reverence for Life." - Albert Schweitzer. "I suspect that the cosmic quality of microbiology will seem as obvious to future generations as the Sun being the centre of the solar system seems obvious to the present generation" - Fred Hoyle ("The Relation of Biology to Astronomy"). "But the climaxing observation appeared in year 2002.    How exceedingly ironic that 30 years after Fred Hoyle pointed to NGC 7603 as a crucial system which must force out acceptance of the existence of discordant redshifts - after a generation has passed - the luminous link between this active Seyfert and its appendage is observed to have two high redshift, quasar-like objects in it." - Halton C. Arp, American Astronomer, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, and author of Seeing Red, Apeiron, 1998 (refuting "Big-Bang" theory.) "The first message from an intelligent extraterrestrial civilisation may not emerge from a radio telescope but, instead, from a DNA sequencing machine." - John Walker, Fourmilab Switzerland. "We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race." - Kofi Annan, former United Nations Secretary-General. ------------------------------------------ Geopolitics, science and technology come of age with commitment to benign energy-weather-climate stability.   In coming to grips with nationalism, militarism, and the culture of capitalism (interlinked), The Forelaws Principle begins humanity's transition beyond nation-states to United Albedo Regions on Earth (UARE).   Ending and/or mitigating weather/climate-related phenomena such as (but not limited to) global warming, ice ages, droughts and desertification, as well as floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning-induced wildland fires, remains contingent upon planet surface reflectivity of solar radiation referred to as planetary albedo. The transition to united albedo regions . . . optimizing planetary albedo for benign energy-weather-climate stability (albedoism) . . . interrelates on Earth the plant kingdom, civil engineering, architecture, urban and rural planning, materials technology, e.g. polymers changing color with temperature changes, and global water equilibrium (the state of balance between amply available freshwater worldwide on one side and, on the other, relative constancy in planetary saltwater sea-level.)   Albedoism is defined as the pursuit and attainment of benign energy- weather-climate stability, organically realized through united albedo regions on all planets with intelligent life.   Among associations not specifically committed but relevant in the movement to united albedo regions is Washington Geoengineering Consortium: "In this effort, we convene and report on meetings, invite written and other contributions both from important figures representing the full spectrum of views on geoengineering, and support robust public and civil society interactions . . . The definition and use of the term ‘geoengineering’ is not fully agreed upon, and given what is at stake, can be contentious." Intelligent life philosophy and cosmology anticipates the transition on Earth to albedoism and united albedo regions.  Reaching out to, and necessarily including former followers of racism and international terrorism, United Albedo Regions on Earth (UARE) portrays a compassionate/cooperative global society successful in addressing among other challenges:  nuclear weapons/energy disposal - freshwater and food shortages - fossil fuels and excessive CO2 emissions - the specter of international trade wars - overpopulation - energy conservation and global energy sufficiency, the latter supplied by solar energy on a global grid system - hydrogen produced by solar energy.  Evolutionary empathy and compassion (placing emphasis on importance of nurturing of offspring and early childhood education) targets basics of (a) a healthful, sustainable environment for every planetary citizen (free of nuclear weapons/energy), (b) quality health care and housing, (c) education for all based upon individual capability, (d) creative/productive employment for every planetary citizen, (e) post-retirement security. NASA's Kepler and Terra Missions are leaders in performing breakthrough space research and discovery: Kepler compiling data on Earth-like planets, Terra collecting data on Earth's reflectivity of solar radiation. "Location, topography, and the exchange of radiant energy between the sun and Earth ultimately determine weather" (from Retrieval of Surface Albedo from Space, December, 2002.) - John Maurer, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Terra Mission (NASA, 1999) . . . "carries five instruments that observe Earth's atmosphere, ocean, land, snow and ice, and energy budget. Taken together, these observations provide unique insight into how the Earth system works and how it is changing." "As a joint initiative between the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and NASA . . . . . Landsat represents the world's longest continuously acquired collection of space-based moderate-resolution land remote sensing data.   Four decades of imagery provides a unique resource for those who work in agriculture, geology, forestry, regional planning, education, mapping, and global change research.  Landsat images are also invaluable for emergency response and disaster relief." - NASA Landsat Science. --------------------------------------------------- "the human brain is the most complex and orderly arrangement of matter in the universe" (apropos of all cosmic, human-level intelligent life) - Isaac Isamov (1920-1992), professor of biochemistry at Boston University and author of over 500 science and science fiction books. "Research shows that young children’s earliest learning experiences can have powerful long-term effects on their cognitive and emotional development, school achievement, and later life outcomes." - Stand for Children, Portland, Oregon, USA. "We believe that scientific study of the developing mind and brain is the next great research frontier and that discoveries in the next decade will be comparable to those in genetics, biotechnology, and informatics." - Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences, University of Washington. Create a multi-disciplinary environment whereby compassion and altruism studies are supported and legitimized within the broader scientific community." - Vision of The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Stanford University. "The MBE program's broadest mission is to create a new field of mind, brain, and education, with educators and researchers who expertly join biology, cognitive science, and education." - Kurt Fischer, Director of Mind, Brain and Education Program, Harvard University. "Research projects cover a wide variety of fields, including neuroscience, psychology, political science and economics." - Human Neuroimaging Laboratory, Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Read Montague, Director. “…respect for oneself, understanding and compassion for others, and a sense of responsibility for the world, its citizens and its future.” - Mary Gordon, founder of Roots of Empathy and author of Roots of Empathy: Changing the World, Child by Child (2005.) --------------------------------------------------- Residents of Beijing, China's capital, could be drinking freshwater from desalinated seawater within five years.   As part of China's eleventh five-year plan, this source could become a main supply in efforts to deal with the water shortage (National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) People's Republic of China.)    Eminently in order on a global scale, national and international five-year plans aimed at satisfying freshwater needs, at job creation, and environmental sustainability through seawater desalination - intermediate and integral to United Albedo Regions on Earth - address, additionally, climate change and rising sea-levels.  The current growth rate of desalination at coastal locations bodes well for strategic and direct transport of freshwater to inland points such as Beijing.   Mandated and coordinated by progressive efforts the world over, dramatically accelerated, expanded and sustained seawater desalination - receiving important impetus from the International Desalination Association - ensures (1) globally plentiful freshwater and food surpluses, (2) relief for low-lying communities vulnerable to sea-level rise, (3) stabilization of ocean shorelines, (4) enlarged land mass/biomass on Earth, (5) freshwater storage in areas which include those where once resided coal and petroleum. Global water equilibrium on Earth envisages a growing network of overland pipelines (new &/or converted to freshwater use) carrying freshwater from desalination plants - and from seaports (linking freshwater transported by tanker ships) - to interior locations for local and regional needs including irrigation and replenishment of aquifers.   Interport transportation of freshwater converted from seawater can be expected to take advantage of surplus marine tanker capacity coincident with ongoing trends to green energy sources.   The same is true with respect to existing overland pipelines (potentially a medium for the transport of freshwater) now used in moving petroleum and petroleum products.   In this and all stages of albedoculture/climate stability, from seawater desalination to rolling back desertification, products made from industrial hemp - and industrial hemp itself as a growing plant - will make a major contribution.   A plant requiring no genetic modification, industrial hemp can be cultivated with and without irrigation in countries like Afghanistan, Columbia, Mexico, and the USA - and processed into upwards of 10,000 useful products which include paper, food and building materials.  Any product made from petroleum (not excluding high octane gasoline and plastics) can be made from industrial hemp.  Industrial hemp seeds can produce food such as bread, hempburgers, milk and ice cream.   Hemp fiberboard has been demonstrated to be twice the strength of wood fiberboard.     "Hempcrete" blocks, "lighter, stronger and easier to work with than masonry concrete", have been manufactured at the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota (start-up costs were under $10,000.00.) "CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A new approach to desalination being developed by researchers at MIT and in South Korea could lead to small, portable desalination units that could be powered by solar cells or batteries and could deliver enough fresh water to supply the needs of a family or small village. As an added bonus, the system would also remove many contaminants, viruses and bacteria at the same time." . . . . . Source: “Direct Seawater Desalination by Ion Concentration Polarization,” by Sung Jae Kim, Sung Hee Ko, Kwan Hyoung Kang, and Jongyoon Han. Nature Nanotechnology, March 21, 2010. - from MIT News 23 March 2010. ". . . we have found a way to make a membrane (for use in seawater desalination) that can produce higher amounts of water compared to the commercial membranes being used today, while using the same process." - Mohammed Rasool Qtaishat, Water for All. "Among U.S. states, Maryland, Virginia, and DC are exceptionally vulnerable to climate change.  The states have more than 5,000 miles of Chesapeake and Atlantic shoreline, almost every inch of which would be degraded or inundated completely by the projected sea-level rise of up to three feet._ - Chesapeake Climate Action Network. "Concerns about global warming, energy consumption and increased demand for potable water sources are causing a dramatic expansion of the desalination industry.  These changes present an exciting opportunity for IDA to play a more centralized role in speaking for the industry to increase public awareness of the many benefits of desalination, including drought-proof reliability, expandability, availability and potentially unlimited production." Lisa Henthorne, International Desalination Association. --------------------------------- Protection from Internet malware, such as ongoing Conficker which has infected millions of computers since 2008, is fundamental to realization of a compassionate/cooperative global society on Earth. "That leads me to my next point, which is how we can more broadly engage each of you – students, educators, researchers, engineers, and the larger academic community – in our nation's cybersecurity efforts. To meet the challenges I've discussed, DHS needs a world-class cybersecurity team – a strong, dependable pipeline for the future." - Janet Napolitano, former Secretary, Department of Homeland Security, at San Jose State University, April 16, 2012. "This is one of the defining battles of our age, one that takes place for the most part out of the public eye." - Mark Bowden, author of Worm: The First Digital World War (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2011.) "The hazard of fission products persists for a time that is longer than any I can conceive." - Larry Bogart (1914-1991), Anti-Nuclear Activist. ------------------------------------------------------- The DEMOCRATHON Process ("people power"), functioning in unison with the Initiative and Referendum currently available in some form in 24 States in the USA and continuing to grow worldwide - with potential and efficacy significantly more widespread since the advent of Internet communication - is a political-educational-fundraising mechanism proposed as an important cornerstone in advancing intelligent life philosophy and cosmology. www.forelawsonboard.net/DemocrathonProcess.html. ----------------------------------------------------- "Of course, today, for science in particular, electronic communication makes possible communities of individuals from all corners of the world.  The most direct evolution toward an enlightened science is for these groups to just go about supporting each other in doing science free of disproved, official assumptions." - Halton C. Arp. "Without in any way ceasing our direct attack upon the institution (war), we may well consider the effects if we cut the umbilical cord to its mother evil, the animal abattoir." - from The Recovery of Culture (Diet and War) by Henry Bailey Stevens, 1949. "A human being is part of the whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space.  He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest - a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.  This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.  Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." - Albert Einstein. "It would be good to prevent the vast suffering and countless violent deaths caused by predation." - Jeff McMahan, Department of Philosophy, Rutgers University. "Win-win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. Win-win is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all human interactions." - Author Steven R. Covey (1932-2012.) “From the right to know and the duty to inquire flows the obligation to act.” - Sandra Steingraber ("Rachel Carson of the 21st Century"), author of Living Downstream (1997, 2010.) “A man can do what he wants, but not want what he wants.” - Arthur Schopenhauer. It (Darwinism) “proclaimed that our true relation is that of competitors and combatants in a struggle for mere survival . . ." - George Bernard Shaw. -------------------------------------------------------- "D. But greatest of all would be the effect upon our ethical and aesthetic culture if we made ourselves consistent with that primate nature which was built over long ages into our very genes.  We have tried to operate a church and a schoolhouse at one end of the street and a slaughterhouse at the other, to fill our minds with kindness and our stomachs with tortured flesh; to teach peace and eat like beasts of prey.  But we have overlooked the moral in the story of Diomedes.  Each generation has run amok and torn us to pieces in turn for the ugly lies which it has been taught - viz. that animals must be killed for food and people for military objectives." - from The Recovery of Culture (Diet and War) by Henry Bailey Stevens, 1949. ----------------------------------------------------------- "To ignite a passion for inquiry, innovation and investigation that will instill a compassionate commitment to enrich the quality of life in school, community and country and make an enduring difference to our world." - Mission of the Princeton International School of Mathematics and Science. "I endorse wholeheartedly The Forelaws Principle" - Brig Klyce, Director, Astrobiology Research Trust, USA. "The initiative already has led to six completed science textbooks in Tibetan and English, with two more textbooks in various stages of completion." - from the Robert A. Paul Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, Emory University. ". . . Which then means that everyone has their own perception or version of `reality'.  That's because each of us `physically' perceives the external world slightly differently, and each of us carries a unique baggage of a life-time's concepts and assumptions which further influence those perceptions." - Ray Dickenson, Editor, Perceptions. "In less than 20 years, we have gone from not knowing if any other planets exist in the universe, to being able to look out at the night sky and realize that essentially any star we can see has at least one planet, and a good number of those are likely to be habitable." - Alan Boss, Science Working Group, NASA Kepler Mission. "To suppose that Earth is the only populated world in infinite space is as absurd to believe that in an entire field sown with millet, only one grain will grow." - Metrodorus of Chios (Greek Philosopher, Fourth Century BC.) ----------------------------------------------------------- Intelligent life philosophy and cosmology on Earth in the 21st century - manifesting evolutionary empathy and compassion - translates into veganism, ethnicity revisited, the transition to a compassionate/cooperative global society free of nuclear weapons/energy, United Albedo Regions on Earth (UARE), culminating in Earth's destiny as a parent planet of intelligent life in the cosmic community of intelligent life . . . as geopolitics, science, technology - and humanity - come of age to launch a new age on Earth. Intelligent life . . . made ageless, meaningful, purposeful, and fulfilling through life procreation and evolutionary empathy and compassion . . . remains, from infinity to infinity, a gift with both indefinable promise and immeasurable potential. "Whatever you can do . . . . . or believe you can . . . . . begin it Boldness has magic . . . . . power . . . . . and genius in it." Johnne Goethe Forelaws on Board Forelaws_on_Board@forelawsonboard.net