>>10672261Second, prior to the arrival of "world peace" and for the sake of their own survival and propagation, the self-prop subsystems of a given global self-prop system (their supersystem) will have put aside, or at least moderated, their mutual conflicts in order to present a united front against any immediate external threats or challenges to the supersystem (which are also threats or challenges to themselves). In fact, the supersystem would never have been successful enough to become a global self-prop system if competition among its most powerful self-prop subsystems had not been moderated.
But once a global self-prop system has eliminated its competitors, or has entered into an agreement that frees it from dangerous competition from other global self-prop systems, there will no longer be any immediate external threat to induce unity or a moderation of conflict among the self-prop subsystems of the global self-prop system. In view of Proposition 2-which tells us that self-prop systems will compete with little regard for long-term consequences-unrestrained and therefore destructive competition will break out among the most powerful self-prop subsystems of the global self-prop system in question.
Benjamin Franklin pointed out that "the great affairs of the world, the wars, revolutions, etc. are carried on and effected by parties." Each of the "parties," according to Franklin, is pursuing its own collective advantage, but "as soon as a party has gained its general point"-and therefore, presumably, no longer faces immediate conflict with an external adversary-"each member becomes intent upon his particular interest, which, thwarting others, breaks that party into divisions and occasions... confusion."
