From Reddit: Humanity is the only race in the galaxy with such a massive lack of common sense that we’re the only species that requires laws to form societies. Other races just form naturally and are shocked when confronted with humanities laws and regulations.

“But that doesn’t make any sense!”

“Speak clearly, child.”

Arcturi sighed in frustration. It is difficult to learn when one is being chided. He scowled at the floating tablet. There were several other children in the room, each regarding their tablets with varying emotions. The goal was learning, exercise for the mind. However, the pre-programming often left a lot to be desired. “Nevermind. Tell me about the Mimetic wars again?”

“Absolutely, child. The Mimetic wars began, …” The tablet continued to dictate about the wars, their genesis and conclusion.

“I don’t understand,” said Arcturi. “How can something as simple as information lead to war? Why would knowing something be bad?”

The tablet responded, “Viral ideas are a key component to change within a culture. Since the beginning of modern evolution, societies have instituted governments upon themselves to provide a legal framework to resolve disputes. Often, pressure from a disenfranchised subset will build until a viral idea sparks a change. Protests come about, … " The tablet continued for a few minutes.

Arcturi paused thoughtfully, then continued, “But with instant transmission of ideas, can information be considered viral?”

“As information spreads, it builds pressure in a system. It eventually dissipates in some fashion. If it is experienced all at once, the pressure will indeed be violent, but it will also be instantaneous and shorter lasting. The effects won’t be quite as damaging.”

Arcturi considered this for a short time. It’s been thousands of years since Contact, and yet this lesson was still a key part of youth study. Why did the school-teachers consider it so important? “Tell me about post-Contact again. When the other races discovered Earth.”

“In the Cenozoic period, Earth was contacted by a federation of space-faring species. Unlike humanity, intra-species communication was instant via their own highly advanced or innate means. In some cases, this was as simple as telepathy. In other cases, the species had developed highly advanced social technology. Inter-species communication was likewise instant and performed at regular intervals. For millennia, these species had existed in harmony, gathering knowledge and experience, which made their subsequent destruction very unfortunate.”

Arcturi had heard the story a hundred times. How couldn’t he? His entire race felt a great regret for what became known as The Unintentional Genocide. He sighed once more, then asked the tablet, “Why did it happen? Could we have prevented it?”

The tablet accessed the relevant memory and responded, “The event was inevitable. Had the creatures encountered earth several centuries later, it’s conceivable that this could have been prevented. However, at that point in their evolution, humans had not developed the ability to communicate instantly. As each species interacted with humanity, ideas spread amongst the various life-forms and races of the galaxy. However, because this information was not instantly communicated to each race, the information was conveyed to each species at different rates. Ideas were executed, trade routes changed, planetary systems altered or affected without proper communication within the federation. Within a short time span, tensions built, skirmishes occurred and trading ships started disappearing. The effect continued to spread and the situation escalated.” The tablet went silent.

Arcturi was aghast. “How could something as simple as an idea lead to all of that?”

“While not physical in nature, the information shot through the federation like a virus, changing minds and conceptions in a gradual fashion. Because their societies had evolved to the point of instant and complete social gratification, they no longer had the legal institutions in place to deal with disputes. The overly social nature of their societies led to their downfall. Seeing this, the people of earth united and created the Physical Society Act, which ensured that our social technology would never supersede the necessity for humans to interact physically.”

Arcturi placed the tablet in his desk and spoke to some of the children sitting nearby. A few minutes later, they left the classroom and ran to a playground on a large nearby balcony, several thousand feet above the ground. A grand cityscape appeared around them as they enjoyed community and the setting sun.