My hero, Socrates (or at least Plato’s characterisation of his old teacher) would have enjoyed gaz’s post about changing the world and all therein; seven steps towards happiness perhaps, the pursuit of which is every American’s dream, alongside life and liberty.
The snub-nosed Greek’s starting point for his discussion with gaz would have been his own eirôneia or ignorance, his clean sheet on which he jotted the answers to his questions, in a quest for the truth. And funnily enough, he would have passed quickly over gaz’s nos. 1, 3, 5 and 7! Why ? Because he could see the commonsense they demonstrate. (And to prove a point, he took the hemlock after disagreeing with the politically correct opinions of the sophists, whose own greed and casuistry caused his blood to boil.)
Which leaves 2, 4 and 6. Well! The world was somewhat different when Athens ruled supreme. There WAS world government in their terms, because they ruled it – or at least the part they thought was worth bothering about. And Athens did practice real democracy – at least if you discount the opinions of the slave population, which happily for the free citizenry did all the work! In that sense the Athenians themselves could have agreed with gaz’s ideal: you don’t need to work to exist (unless you are a slave).
So good on you, gaz, for parading the eternal questions for society to answer. It’s nice to be reminded just how eternal they are.
Boadicea's Chariot 
Janus, maybe in the year 4050 people will ponder over the Gazoopian Problem 🙂
They will. 😎
I suspect the question remains eternal because humanity’s attributes remain the same. Humanity appears to have been powered by greed and power forever. You would think by now that humanity would have begun to evolve into something less basic.
Maybe there is just an inbuilt fail mechanism in our world. No other species here got beyond the ‘rend and tea’r phase either before wipeout.
By 4050 I doubt very much we will be here.
It seems the survival/procreation instinct in man evolved into a rat-race unconnected with that original instinct. Beggar thy neighbour is now the mantra.
Rather a terrible lack of difference between us and the dinosaurs.
If one were describing the behaviour without reference to species or modern appurtenances I doubt very much you could distinguish between them.