Foundation

We hope this platform can serve as the foundation of a online community which promotes a Rational Democratic Process.

Democractic being: the opportunity for equal participation of all members of a group in the decision making process.

Rational being: the exclusive use of reason in the decision making process, based on a given set of assumptions.

The underlying assumption in this case are; groups and individuals participating in this platform desire the opportunity of equal participation of all members of their group in the decision making process.

All other assumptions adopted by this platform should help advance this underlying assumption.

The Rational Process often runs in opposition to human nature. Our Rational Processes have always been conscious adaptations to larger realities. For better or worse it is our conscious rational adaptations which make us a unique species, though we still have the basic biology of other animals.

Note: the following base assumptions and rules should be considered temporary until there are enough members of like mind and energy to work out a more permanent set of assumptions and rules.

All rational processes require foundational assumptions on which to build.

The foundational assumptions which apply to this Wiki are divided into two categories; the first category being those assumptions based on observations of human nature and the second category being conscious adaptations needed to build a foundation for a Rational Democratic Process.

Category #1 (observations of human nature)

1. Members of a group will hold onto to whatever beliefs appeal to them as individuals.

2. Members of a group will seek happiness and fulfillment for themselves and those who are close to them.

Category #2 (conscious adaptations)

1. The rules which are adopted by a specific group of people should apply equally to all members of the group.

2. Members of a group should treat others (including non-members) as they would like to be treated themselves.

Next, in light of these foundational assumptions I would suggest some more specific conscious adaptations, or what is more commonly known as "rules" (laws, regulations, bylaws etc, etc.).

These rules are divided into 4 basic groups.

Rationality

1. Members of a group should set aside any individual motivation which conflicts with a rational decision making process, while participating in that group's decision making process. Some of these motivations might include: self-interest, belief in divine intervention, communal or personal retribution, communal or personal glorification, to name a few irrational motivations.

Equality

1. Members of a group should seek to make rules and take actions which treat all members fairly, while recognizing a member's cumulative contributions to the larger group.

2. Members of a group should not create any rules or take any actions which would unfairly impair the happiness of members of their own group, or non-members.

Freedom

1. Members of a group should not make rules or take actions which impair the beliefs held by other members.

2. Members of a group should not make rules or take actions which impair the free association of other members.

3. Members of a group should not make rules or take actions which restrict the free expression of other members.

Community

1. Members of a group should put a lower priority on individual motivations and subset groups' interests, when those interests conflict with the overall well being of the larger group.

2. Members of a group should seek to make rules and take actions which reward an individual's or organization's cumulative contributions to the larger group.

3. Members of a group should seek to make rules and take actions which create equal opportunities for all members.

4. Members of a group should not make rules or take actions which would impair any member's basic nutrition, basic health or basic safety.

Change and Balance:In practice, applying such a set of rules to a particular group often requires a balancing act generally referred to as compromise. The fore mentioned along with the fact that groups and people are always changing, is why no set of rules designed to advance a Rational Democratic Process should be considered sacrosanct or immutable.