The Earth Constitution is therefore not "utopian" in the negative sense, for it does establish a world system that addresses our fundamental problems and their root causes. In this sense, it give us a "practical utopia." However, "practical utopia" is precisely what the Left was always about. The fundamental idea of the Left all along, going back to Karl Marx and beyond, was that the people of Earth can unite to solve their most fundamental problems. And it is not only the radicals who have called for this union. Thinkers as diverse as Jawaharlal Nehru (first Prime Minister of India), Pope John XXIII, and Albert Einstein all understood that the only real solution to our problems is a democratic global public authority.
We can create a world system that serves human needs rather than the greed and power of the few, whether this "few" be the capitalist ruling class or the big imperialist nation-states. The Left has always been about some form of global democratic socialism. That means a world in which satisfying universal human needs and universal human rights are the direct responsibilities of both the economy and government. That is precisely what is established by the Earth Constitution. If we are on the Left, we need to be not only for our community, or our country, but for humanity as a whole. Supporting the Earth Constitution is precisely the way to be in solidarity with our brothers and sisters everywhere on Earth.
(Glen T. Martin, Ph.D., is Professor of Philosophy at Radford University in Virginia and President of the World Constitution and Parliament Association)
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