0
$\begingroup$

The title is a bit wonky because I don't know how to properly describe the societal features I am aiming for since there doesn't appear to be a real-world equivalent for this specific concept.

Basically, the human culture of Diggoran ( pronounced Die-Ah-Ran ) has a weird system of weak but intentionally functional family values in which parents or guardians being regularly present is not seen as being essential to a child's wellbeing.

Despite the fact that Diggoran has reached a 2020's to 2040's level of technological development, children are still and commonly raised in a manner similar to pre-industrial, colonial or medieval societies. Specifically, they begin a complex education from an early age and they work from an early age which should result in them being able to functionally take care of themselves by the age of 13. Likewise, they may continue to live with their families ( if present ) until reaching the age of 20.

This conceptual system of child-raising can also be attributed to the romantic and sexual mores of Diggoranic humans.

Diggoranic humans do practice marriage but they recognize it as a purely symbolic and unnecessary tradition that is usually only done by the elite. Diggoranic humans in the Upper middle class to lower classes don't usually practice marriage and they regularly have children either within or outside of a functioning relationship as they don't believe that two present parents are necessary for a child's development.

If you can't tell I'd really like to implement this concept as it will actually help in regards to the main characters of my story but all of my ideas are all over the place and they don't really work together all that well.

Therefore my question is, how should I write this society? Are there some things I should consider? ideas that might work? Or is this concept too stupid to function altogether?

I haven't factored costs into this concept so that might ruin things a bit if they must play an essential role in this concept.

Thank you for any and all help in advance.

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
12
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ This sounds more of a question for Writing.SE than for Worldbuilding.SE. $\endgroup$
    – L.Dutch ♦
    Commented Feb 27, 2020 at 2:10
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @L.Dutch-ReinstateMonica I think he kind of wants both and hasn't separated it. He has an issue with how to build the society (Worldbuilding) and with how to represent it in a story (Writing). Should probably be rewritten to clearly leave "how should I write it" out. And then after getting some answer go to writing. As is Writing would just bounce this back because it is about worldbuilding and they do not do that... $\endgroup$
    – Ville Niemi
    Commented Feb 27, 2020 at 2:21
  • $\begingroup$ Yeah that's basically what I am looking for @VilleNiemi I kinda figured that it belonged here. $\endgroup$
    – JordanTheCynic
    Commented Feb 27, 2020 at 2:26
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I’m voting to close as written. There’s no WB question asked. I can see that there may be WB questions to ask, but such questions (such as, “What impact is there on economy of such child rearing?”) aren’t listed. $\endgroup$
    – SRM
    Commented Feb 27, 2020 at 3:07
  • $\begingroup$ @SRM If that is the case, do you have any suggestions for another place to ask this question since it seems to be inappropriate for StackExchange? $\endgroup$
    – JordanTheCynic
    Commented Feb 27, 2020 at 3:10

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
4
$\begingroup$

Read Plato's Republic.

The Republic is an ancient and excellent book laying out a theoretical polity very different from our own, and from that of Plato, the author. The ideas in the Republic have been discussed for thousands of years. They are not far from what I think you are describing.

In the Republic, there are no fixed marriages. The biological parents of a child have no relationship with the child and in fact do not know it is their child. The children of the Republic are raised together by professionals, in something like a kibbutz. Family values are those of the community and Republic, not of a particular family or clan.

https://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/republic/section5/

Socrates then discusses the requirement that all spouses and children be held in common. For guardians, sexual intercourse will only take place during certain fixed times of year, designated as festivals. Males and females will be made husband and wife at these festivals for roughly the duration of sexual intercourse. The pairings will be determined by lot. Some of these people, those who are most admirable and thus whom we most wish to reproduce, might have up to four or five spouses in a single one of these festivals. All the children produced by these mating festivals will be taken from their parents and reared together, so that no one knows which children descend from which adults

The above is a summary but the original in translation is not hard. Give it a look! http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0168%3Abook%3D5

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
5
  • $\begingroup$ It does sound very similar but also a little too strict for the alternate humans of Diggoran. This system should be free-spirited in nature and shouldn't have any government influence or interference. Likewise, I always thought that Plato's Republic was a manifesto for democracy rather than a conceptual plan for society so you did peak my interest in it as a unrelated topic. $\endgroup$
    – JordanTheCynic
    Commented Feb 27, 2020 at 2:34
  • $\begingroup$ You could dispense with their yearly orgy and just have the adults conduct their affairs as each one sees fit. What you keep is the communal anonymous child rearing system. $\endgroup$
    – Willk
    Commented Feb 27, 2020 at 2:48
  • $\begingroup$ Diggoranic humans don't practice anonymous child-rearing. Parents do raise the child but it's not seen as strictly necessary for parents to be present, you just need someone to guide the child in accordance to Diggoranic traditions until they become 13. @Willk $\endgroup$
    – JordanTheCynic
    Commented Feb 27, 2020 at 2:50
  • $\begingroup$ @JordanTheCynic: Plato's Republic is most definitely not a manifesto for democracy. For fascism, maybe. You are probably being misled by the word "republic", which is simply the traditional translation, because that's what the Romans called it; the catch is that in Latin, res publica does not mean specifically a "republic", but rather a "commonwealth" or a "state" -- it does not have to be democratic. And Plato's ultra-right-wing dream most definitely isn't. $\endgroup$
    – AlexP
    Commented Feb 27, 2020 at 10:42
  • $\begingroup$ I'm not misled by the name. I was taught in grade school that Plato's Republic was the foundation for democracy but I never actually read the book or a synopsis of it to confirm that, that was absolute nonsense. @AlexP $\endgroup$
    – JordanTheCynic
    Commented Feb 27, 2020 at 11:04

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .