Minimal Compact
The Minimal Compact, an Open Source global constitution. Ensure the greatest Freedom for the greatest number, without simultaneously abridging the freedoms of others... The minimal compact is only interested in "freedom from," proceeding from the belief that it is quite sufficient to guarantee an explicit refuge from all forms of compulsion to provide for human happiness. Liberty when construed as "freedom from" has the important advantage of tending to organize a commons, a space where mutual, overlapping, conflicting or unilateral interests may be negotiated... This negative definition will prove unacceptable to many libertarians, for whom only an absolute guarantee under law of personal freedom is acceptable. By Adam Greenfield (2003). 2008 update: It’s goofy, it’s naïve, it’s grandiose and pompous.
process to maintain Cultural Pluralism, Libertarian Game Rules?
mostly very meta, trying to start a conversation. Here's the extent of specific recommendations:
It is left to future discussions to determine the exact shape and nature of a minimal compact such as the one proposed herein. However, in pursuit of the goals outlined in section 1 above, the following provisions seem essential:
- 5.01 Signing the Compact must always be understood to be a purely voluntary act.
- 5.02 Each signatory is recognized as sovereign (Sovereignty) by all other signatories, granted the full range of powers traditionally accorded states ("...to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do") except as such conflict with other provisions.
- 5.03 Other national citizenships or other affiliations may be maintained, without limitation. No such affiliation should be nullified by the act of signing the Compact, at least not as concerns the Compact community itself. (The other institutions affected may well have their own opinions.)
- 5.04 At risk of the forfeiture of their Compact citizenship, no signatory may enforce any rule, regulation or policy that abrogates or nullifies any of the provisions of the Compact.
- 5.05 No signatory to the Compact may take any measure to abridge the Freedom-s of any other signatory in good standing, to include without limit life, liberty, association, belief, and expression. Also left undetermined by this document are the necessary provisions for modification of the core Compact by all signatories, for maintenance of the central registry, for forfeiture of citizenship, and for the resolution of other critical questions (e.g., may only natural human persons be signatories?).
Smells related to the Nomic Game.
Implicit in the Network Society?
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