Not too long ago we shared that scientist had figured out a way to rewrite the genetic code of a worm, making us naturally think of the insane amounts of genetic alterations happening in the fantastic game, BioShock. But it doesn’t end there, folks. Everyday people are doing things that seem closer and closer to the underwater utopia built by Andrew Ryan, lovingly dubbed Rapture.

Peter Thiel founded the massive money–swapping website, Pay Pal, and also helped fund what would one day become Facebook, both being major factors in his $1.5 billion fortune, which he’s using to partake in some very interesting ventures. He’s also a geek’s dream best friend, fascinated and frustrated by that crazy future, full of unbelievable technological advancements we’ve seen so many times in movies and other forms of entertainment like jetpacks and flying cars, and how we, the human race, have yet to achieve such things. But it’s something much, much bigger than jetpacks that Thiel has invested well over a million dollars into.

Thiel has joined forces with Patri Friedman and an organization called Seasteading Institute, who have big plans in the works for a series of floating sovereign nations built on libertarian ideals and free from the constrictions of modern day governments. These mini countries will be on movable, diesel–powered 12,000 ton oil rig–type foundations that house around 270 residents, and will be located on the oceans out of the reach of the United Nations’ Law of the Sea treaty.

The plan is to start them off as small city–states as “a kind of floating petri dish for implementing policies that libertarians, stymied by indifference at the voting booths, have been unable to advance: no welfare, looser building codes, no minimum wage, and few restrictions on weapons.” Then, if all goes well, they can link together a large number””dozens to perhaps even hundreds””of the rigs. The Seasteading Institute isn’t aiming low, either””they hope to have tens of millions of residents by the year 2050.

Basically, it will be all the things that Andrew Ryan’s Rapture was (or perhaps more like the floating city of Columbia in the BioShock prequel, BioShock Infinite), only it will be above the water and real…if it actually happens, of course. With ambitions this high it seems pretty unlikely that it will work, but all involved seem both confident and determined to make this happen.

What do you think about having small sovereign nations with tens of millions of residents floating on these rigs in the ocean?

[Source: Details via Game Informer]