Principles
Source document: docs/en/01-principles.md / Propose an edit
World Foundation Design is organized around the following principles.
Voluntary Participation
Section titled “Voluntary Participation”Participation must be voluntary. Coercion, forced membership, and blocked exit are incompatible with this design.
Right to Exit
Section titled “Right to Exit”Individuals and organizations must be able to leave without coercion or unfair penalty.
Forkability
Section titled “Forkability”If a system becomes corrupt or stagnant, it must be possible to fork it.
Transparency
Section titled “Transparency”Rules, decisions, authority, accounting, and change history should be inspectable.
Modularity
Section titled “Modularity”Identity, reputation, economy, welfare, governance, arbitration, infrastructure, audit, norms, public safety, and federation should be designed as separate modules.
Modules should remain replaceable and reviewable. No single module should accumulate more authority than its purpose requires.
Corruption Resistance
Section titled “Corruption Resistance”The design must avoid concentration of power, opacity, entrenched interests, inherited privilege, and exit barriers.
Corruption resistance should be designed into procedures, records, review, appeals, and forkability rather than relying only on personal virtue.
Multi-affiliation
Section titled “Multi-affiliation”Individuals should be able to belong to multiple communities and organizations.
Non-hostility toward States
Section titled “Non-hostility toward States”This design does not seek direct conflict with states. It aims to reduce the necessity of state functions over time while respecting existing legal systems.
Convenience over Coercion
Section titled “Convenience over Coercion”Cooperation infrastructure should spread because it is useful, transparent, and fair, not because people are forced to use it.
Privacy with Transparency
Section titled “Privacy with Transparency”Transparency must be balanced with privacy and safety. Public accountability should not require unnecessary exposure of personal information.
Gradual Transition
Section titled “Gradual Transition”This design should grow through small experiments, reviewable records, and gradual connection with existing institutions.
Freedom and Peace
Section titled “Freedom and Peace”Peace should not be created by suppressing freedom.
This design aims to reduce the rationality of violence and war through voluntary participation, multi-affiliation, transparency, reduced survival anxiety, and cooperative interdependence.