13 Aug 2002 @ 16:10, by protech. Social System Design
PRINCIPLES, CODE AND CONSTITUTION: This page will propose a philosophy for the Uni-v.e.r.s.e. Procivilization Community and a possible constitution with a code and some principles for participants to consider. After reviewing the following, please comment on the insideUni-v.e.r.s.e. email list. As you'll probably guess from reading below, the Procivilization is still very much in an "under construction" or "birthing" mode. Until the "12 Principles of Collaboration" are completely implemented here (or in a offline model), then the "Code" will not be in effect and consequently the "Constitution" cannot be upheld. However, we can begin by outlining a functional philosophy for you to possibly adopt, so our efforts can perhaps be more aligned. I propose that the Procivilization rest on nothing more than a "philosophy" consisting of the following 13 words: "What is is. Perceive it. Think about it. Act on it. Idealize it." That "philosophy" rests upon one irrefutable fact: Existence Exists. This linked Article goes into detail about this "philosophy". In addition to that "philosophy", we have a "constitution" which, in summary, has only 3 "articles" as follows: ARTICLE 1: No person, group of persons, or government may initiate force, threat of force, or fraud against any individual's self or property. ARTICLE 2: Force may be morally and legally used only in self-defense against those who violate Article 1. ARTICLE 3: No exceptions shall exist for Articles 1 and 2. Read more detail about this "constitution". Springing from this constitution resting on the philosophy is a "code". Originally the "Code of Ethics" for Terra Libra, the Procivilization Code has 12 points, as follows: (1) Free Sovereign Citizens own their own lives, minds, bodies, and labor, and may do with them anything that doesn't violate the equal rights of others. This principle of individual sovereignty or self-ownership is the foundation for all legitimate property. (2) Free Sovereign Citizens have the right to own property, which consists of all possessions acquired without coercing others. They respect the equal right of others to own property, which forms the basis for productive and cooperative human relationships. (3) No individual, group, or majority has the right to initiate or threaten force, fraud, violence, or theft against Free Sovereign Citizens or their property. (4) Free Sovereign Citizens have a right to choose whether to communicate or associate with others. These rights of speech and privacy follow directly from the principle of individual sovereignty or self-ownership. (5) Free Sovereign Citizens have the right to associate with others and to enter into agreements and contracts. For a contract between Free Sovereign Citizens to be valid, it needs to be entered into knowingly, voluntarily, and intentionally. (6) Free Sovereign Citizens have the right to produce and exchange property, and to own the products of their labor and thought. No individual, group, or majority has a right to the labor, ideas, production, or property of a Free Sovereign Citizen, or any part thereof, without prior consent or agreement. (7) Free Sovereign Citizens have the right to defend and protect themselves and their property against coercive aggression, and to contract with others to assist them. The authority of voluntarily-chosen agents to defend or protect Citizens and/or their property is strictly limited to that defense or protection. (8) Free Sovereign Citizens consider a crime to occur only when there is a damaged person or property. Therefore, there is no such thing as a "victimless crime," and no Free Sovereign Citizen can commit a crime simply by disobeying the arbitrary rules of tyrants or coercive organizations. (9) To be legitimate, courts and trials must be based on voluntary association and agreement, rather than on coercion. However, anyone who infringes on the person or property of another may be subject to a requirement for restitution by the damaged person. (10) Free Sovereign Citizens recognize that social order and cooperation develop spontaneously in the absence of coercion. They also recognize that leadership by example and productive effort is more beneficial than leadership by force, violence, compulsion, or fear. (11) The principles stated in this Code apply to all Free Sovereign Citizens without regard to age, race, religion, philosophy, background, birthplace, geographic location, gender, or sexual preference. (12) For a right to be valid its exercise may not impose a positive obligation on another; it only depends on others not taking coercive actions. Free Sovereign Citizens respect the equal rights of other Citizens, and therefore do not expect others to contribute to their interests, except through voluntary transactions or contributions. Next, and lastly, we arrive at the "12 Principles of Collaboration" (Civilization). Personally I think the implementation of these 12 Principles, packaged in the awesome software of Mongoose Technologies, is the next step for The Uni-v.e.r.s.e. and Procivilization. Our work as a Community with a profound Purpose can be realised that much quicker with such software at this website. Part of my Vision sees us developing Complementary Exchange Models that would power the "Exchange Principle" of the Procivilization. From the Mongoose Website, I quote a summary of the 12 Principles below: Community exists because the members share a common purpose which can only be accomplished jointly. What is the community about? What, in the minds of its members, is it for? Why do people join, come back, become regular visitors, contribute? What can be done there? How can members collaborate to get their joint purpose and accomplish their common goals? | Members can identify each other and build relationships. Although members can be anonymous, they cannot be unknown. It must be possible for other members and the facilitators of the community to identify someone as the source of a series of items or actions. A persistent identity is the cornerstone to building other key community principles such as trust, reputation, and history. | | | Members build a reputation based on the expressed opinions of others. Members must be able to tell how reliable or useful other members consider any member. Reputation allows them to act on advice with some expectation of its quality without the community website acting as reviewer or police. The desire for good reputation prevents or discourages bad behavior and encourages members to seek feedback from others that may build their reputation. | The facilitators and members of the community assign management duties to each other, allowing the community to grow. Communities must be managed and governed. Members are involved in governing themselves and other members, and the formal facilitators take a reasonable role in managing the community, its standards and rules, and allocating responsibilities to defined members. Without some governance, few communities will grow or survive. | | | Members must be able to interact with each other . Communities cannot exist without one or more mechanisms for member interaction. The best choice for communication tools depends on the purpose of the site and its members. For instance, a CFO site would thrive on shared spreadsheets, whereas a teen site would be better served by instant messaging. | Community members group themselves according to specific interests or tasks All communities contain groups that focus on some subset of the community's purpose or otherwise segment the membership of the community. These groups are typically dynamic (they form, split, merge, end, etc.) and normally have subgroups within them. The larger and more diverse a community, the more the groups within it will drive its behavior and actions. | | | A synergistic environment enables community members to achieve their purpose. All online communities exist within the framework of an online environment. To be effective, they must be integrated with the rest of the website so that navigation, appearance, etc., are seamless between community and non-community areas. | The community knows why it exists and what or who is outside and inside. Boundaries define who is a member and who is not and what members can do and what nonmembers can do. Without clear definition, there is no incentive to become a member and no ability to control access based on membership. Content generated by the community must also be clearly identified. | | | Building trust between members and with community facilitators increases group efficiency and enables conflict resolution. Without trust, a community cannot function. Members must be able to tell how much they can trust other members and must trust those that run the community not to abuse or exploit it. | The community recognizes forms of exchange values, such as knowledge, experience, support, barter or money . Does the community exist to make money for its members? If so, how does it accomplish this? What role does the community play in facilitating commerce? Is it a revenue generator for the site? What monetary and non-monetary forms of reward exist in the community? | | | The community itself has a "soul" or "personality"; members are aware of what other community members are doing. How does the community reveal the activity and preferences of a member or a set of members? | The community must keep track of past events and must react and change in response to it. Communities should remember what has gone before -- and be able to forget things, too. What the community knows about a member must have some statute of limitations, but should be available to a member so that they don't have to repeat themselves. Those running the community should be able to learn from the past and apply this learning to the future. | As always, I propose you view these Principles, Code, Constitution and Philosophy as your own, and not just something "out there" or posessed only by someone else who appears better equipped to understand, express and apply them. YOU are Universe! YOU are Community! YOU are Principle, Code, Constitution and Philosophy! So am I... aswell as everyone else. Having (space 3) you Be (space 1) in touch (space 2) with these facts is what The Uni-v.e.r.s.e. is all about. So, all that you read above, as everything else on this website, can be looked at as something that is already yours, or something for you to strive for. Keep Participating.... More >
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