User:OneKarma/Philosophy

This is the home of the informal working group aiming to establish philosophical foundations for the movement. Topics and implications include, but are not limited to: assumptions and premises for moral obligations, organizational requirements, and prioritized actions.

Appeal for 'Opportunity'

To become a global community (that is, to become a voluntary society instead of a forceful one), there must be a peaceful foundation for such a community. To create this foundation, the humans must effect a global conversation in the aims of determining exactly what that foundation can and should be.

Just as in the foundation of a home, the foundation of a community relies on a number of coordinated actions. There must first be a meeting to discuss the intent of the foundation. I argue that among the most important aspects of a home's foundation (aside from its planning) are strength (to uphold and maintain the structure through all of its uses), location (relation to the rest of the community, and not subject to 'sinking into the marsh', etc), and size and shape (not too big or small, and of a generally functional shape). Similarly, a global community's foundation must be strong enough to withstand all its regular uses, its potential abuses, and its potential evolutions. It must also be 'made' in a way that is accessible to the entire population, and it must have functional size and shape.

A global community's foundation must exist first in the form of a document which states the agreements of the people. In law, the people essentially forfeit their sovereignty to a nation (which is expected to uphold justice), so the nation must 'be' a knowable document - or else the people cannot know to what 'justices' they apply. A nation's 'justice' (on top of basic security) includes the provision of (or at least access to) one's human needs, the opportunity to increase the comforts and standards of one's life, and the opportunity to diversify one's experience. These justices cannot be equally distributed to the people unless there is peaceful cooperation, transparency, and mutual responsibility.

In evolutionary terms (whose functions the human race is still struggling to comprehend at even the most basic levels), opportunity is perhaps the most important abstract occurrence. An organism contains trillions of chemical processes, and these processes occur because 1. there is a capacity for them to occur (if this, then that), and 2. there is an opportunity to occur (this, therefore that). It is important to remember that the capacity is always there, even when the opportunity is not. In human events, there is a massive capacity. The human, with his complex thought, is capable of a much greater spectrum of actions than is any other organism. Given technological advancement, the human species has the capacity to coordinate on a global scale. The species must therefore coordinate an opportunity to act upon that capacity.

Humans are clearly aware of what they are capable, but they have not agreed to make the best of those capabilities. Even in the collective, small actions of many compassionate individuals, there has not been a globally concerted effort in the name of peace. If the Occupation wishes to unify the 99 per cent, it must create an avenue for national collaboration toward peace. This would mean the creation of a forum in which to hold a national conversation. The forum itself should centralize information, but of course it should not be the only place to hold that information. The forum should rely on the thoughts, intents, and actions of all participating individuals. It should grow by way of voluntary participation, and it should seek to create an actionable document which clarifies the intent of a national or global community.

'Foundation' Proposal

'The internet, which implores in us an awareness of the sum of human knowledge, is the primary vehicle by which a social movement becomes organized. It currently connects roughly 1 of every 6 persons. While there are pockets of people both fully connected and fully disconnected, the diversity of voices known and represented is expanding rapidly. We must therefore organize a 'People's Forum dedicated to addressing the implications of a socially connected global society.

Process Requirements

Organized knowledge 'comes with' a naturally induced hierarchy. It is suggested that an hierarchy of working groups be established for determining and responding to the needs of a globally organized society. For simplicity, we will use the phrase 'government and law' to avoid naming a specific 'managerial authority'.

The status of government and law should be exacted by the continuous collaboration (and consensus) of individuals from which its authority is derived.

1. Government and law shall stand upon a morally progressive foundational agreement, which
   1. ensures the equal distribution of both needs and rights, and
   2. rules upon principle rather than by word.
2. The language and process of government and law should be entirely knowable. 'Entirely knowable' implies simplicity of language and process so much that any publicly educated individual can understand and describe every aspect of government and law. This requires absolute transparency by the complete documentation of all 'legal' events.
3. The total function of government and law should be entirely executable. 'Entirely executable' implies simplicity of function so much that any publicly educated individual can participate in the practical application of government and law. This requires equal opportunity for participation at every level of organization.

Foundations

Foundations are the basic agreements upon which an authority acts. It is suggested that global society is now capable of not only providing for every individual's needs, but also of protecting every individual's rights. A government or law whose foundation does not adapt to the ever-expanding society does not consist of the people, and it is instead merely a tradition of the past.

Human Needs

A government or law that does not maximize the equality of provisions of human needs does not act for the people, and it is instead a tyranny in disguise.

• Food
• Water
• Shelter
• Health Care
• Education

Human Rights

In an intellectually advancing world, a government or law that does not continuously expand its definition of peoples' rights does not act by the people, and it is instead only an outdated modus operandi.

• Unrestricted access to living needs
• Absolute freedom to engage and dis-engage social contracts

Proposals

These proposals are under construction.

Unify Occupy Boston

Discuss the principles leading to the structure of the General Assembly. Determine what it means to unify, and whether the Boston contingent of 'Occupy' is capable of prioritizing en masse in the aims of exemplifying a truly open forum.

View the full proposal

Host the GA Online

"To form a more perfect mode of human governance, there must be established a forum to which all persons may apply for announcements, reviews, proposals, discussions, and voting. One must have access to a public, organized log of all relevant information to accurately assess any issue. The current iteration of the General Assembly does not - and more importantly cannot - provide this information in an efficient manner. The only vehicle capable of efficiently presenting this mass of information is a computer, and the only proper fuel is a network. We can use a simple wiki to determine many potential structures of a cyclical, online GA, and then determine the best methodology."

View the full proposal

Online Forum: Standard Procedures

"The Online Forum - Demo will demonstrate the structure and process of a proposal in a forum. It is intended that this process be scalable by 'tiers'. Tiers will be designed to address various issues within an intuitive and ordered hierarchy. Working Groups are a first step in creating such a hierarchy, but they will require a re-design to effectively implement these proposals."

View the forum demonstration

Forum Hierarchy (outdated?)

"The internet currently connects roughly 1 of every 6 persons. It is the primary vehicle by which we organize social movements. While there are pockets of fully connected/disconnected people, the diversity of voices known and represented expands rapidly. The internet implores in us an awareness of the sum of human knowledge; this is the Social Singularity. We must therefore organize a Global Forum dedicated to building upon that awareness, addressing the implications of a global, socially connected society. This will lead inevitably to the establishment of global working groups due to the naturally induced hierarchy of organized knowledge. This document suggests a possible commencement of that global forum."

View the full proposal.