Chaordic Knowledge Stack (V2)

Redo Unbreakable Knowledge: A Chaordic Manifesto as Dee Hocks would implement it.

ChatGPT Prompt

1. Purpose

To enable all people to create, transmit, and preserve knowledge in ways that remain freely chosen, universally accessible, resistant to domination, and aligned with truth and integrity.

2. Principles

1. Autonomy paired with responsibility.
2. Cooperation without compulsion.
3. Transparency of process and provenance.
4. Equal access to participation and influence.
5. Integrity of contribution and lineage.
6. Minimal sufficient structure.
7. Continuous renewal and revision.

3. Essential Questions

1. What is the smallest architecture that enables the greatest freedom?
2. How can autonomous actors interoperate without hierarchy?
3. Which agreements must be uniform, and which may remain entirely local?
4. How is capture or drift prevented?
5. How is fidelity to purpose preserved under changing conditions?

4. Stack Overview

A four-layer architecture, with constraints flowing downward and creativity flowing upward.

1. Purpose Layer
2. Principle Layer
3. Protocol Layer
4. Practice Layer

4.1 Purpose Layer

The single, anchoring statement of intent.
No operational details belong here.

4.2 Principle Layer

The behavioral commitments that guarantee autonomy and integrity.
They impose limits but prescribe no specific methods.

4.3 Protocol Layer

The minimal shared mechanisms enabling interoperability among autonomous participants.

1. Identity Protocol: Asserting personhood or grouphood without centralized authority.
2. Provenance Protocol: Tracking lineage, mutation, and derivation of knowledge artifacts.
3. Integrity Protocol: Verifying claims and contributions without privileged gatekeepers.
4. Revision Protocol: A transparent, periodic, multi-stakeholder process for refining principles and protocols.

All protocols must be open, inspectable, and forkable.

4.4 Practice Layer

The realm of experimentation and expression:

1. Tools and platforms
2. Community norms
3. Curation and annotation styles
4. Translation and interpretation methods
5. Local governance patterns

Everything in this layer is voluntary and replaceable.

5. Agreements for Cooperation

1. Participants affirm the Purpose and Principles.
2. They adopt the Protocols that enable interoperability.
3. They retain complete autonomy in their practices.
4. They may withdraw or fork at any time.
5. They may propose revisions through the Revision Protocol.
6. No individual or institution may exert structural dominance.

6. Governance

1. Rotating, non-permanent representative roles.
2. Transparent deliberation and decision pathways.
3. Triple-consent for changes to Purpose, Principles, or Protocols.
4. No centralized treasury or proprietary assets.
5. A clear dissolution clause to prevent institutional stagnation.

7. Minimum Viable Chaord

1. A small circle aligned on Purpose and Principles.
2. A minimal identity + provenance protocol.
3. A commitment to open, experiential iteration.

Growth occurs through attraction, never enforcement.

8. Tests of Alignment

1. Increased autonomy without increased chaos.
2. Increased coherence without increased control.
3. Increased integrity without increased orthodoxy.
4. Increased participation without dilution of purpose.