Three Orders: The Evolution from Ritual to Trade
Jacques Attali analyzes history as the evolution of three power systems. The Ritual Order was based on transcendence and priests, the Imperial Order on military force, and the current Mercantile Order on efficiency and growth. Today, the latter is entering a terminal phase, seeking to absolutize the market at the expense of states and societies.
Hyperempire: A Global Market Without National Borders
When the Mercantile Order loses external points of reference, the Hyperempire is born. This is a system where the absolutization of the market destroys social bonds, and the state becomes merely a subcontractor for global markets. In this stage, the dictate of money prevails: the end of the primacy of law in trade—traditional law gives way to contracts, and the justice system is replaced by private arbitration.
In the Hyperempire, the only criterion becomes the calculation of profit and risk. Democratic institutions, once the guarantors of rules, lose sovereignty to non-territorial capital flows. This is a world where everything—from security to justice—becomes a market service.
Hypernomads and Infranomads: A New Hierarchy of Mobility
Modern nomadism: the foundation of a new human identity, divides humanity into two castes. Hypernomads are the global elite enjoying freedom of movement and technology. Conversely, infranomads are the masses forced to migrate by wars and the climate crisis. It is a brutal system where the mobility of some is a privilege, and for others—a tragedy.
Geopolitically, we observe how Asia is replacing the USA as the global center. While the USA, Europe, and the Arab world represent three paths of AI development (innovation vs. regulation vs. sovereignty), the heart of the Mercantile Order is shifting toward the Indo-Pacific. Europe, focused on norms, risks marginalization in a world dominated by digital powers.
Hyperdemocracy: A Systemic Rescue from Extinction
Without radical changes, we face Hyperconflict: an inevitable clash over remaining resources. This could become a bloody bridge to a new order, provided humanity chooses Hyperdemocracy. This is a vision of planetary parliamentarianism, where Hyperdemocracy: the protection of global commons (water, climate, data) becomes a priority over national egoisms.
The key to this change is Universal Intelligence: the collective mind of humanity. Although artificial intelligence currently drives the logic of the hyperempire through surveillance, it can become a tool for emancipation. This requires recognizing knowledge as a common good and demilitarizing technology so that it serves the survival of the species rather than its control.
Transhumans: The Ethical Avant-Garde of a New Humanity
The future depends on Transhumans—a new class of political actors who combine local identity with global solidarity. They reject the egoism of Hypernomads in favor of the audacity of optimism. In a world where algorithms shape reality, the question of who hosts the Hyperempire remains open. Will we build a system based on Universal Intelligence, or will we allow soulless calculation to lead to ultimate conflict?
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