THE COMMONS / OPEN KNOWLEDGE

Ours to know.
Ours to build on.

The ideas, rules, and practical skills behind Commonweal.
Everything here can be read, questioned, and improved.

The Commonwealist Manifesto

The full statement: our principles, our programme, and the common good we want to build.

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The constitution

Eleven principles that bind Commonweal, from equal belonging to consent and human control.

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Commonwealism, in brief

Nation, solidarity, faith, liberty, and an economy that serves the people.

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The traditions we inherit

The commonweal, the guilds, solidarism, Christian democracy, cybernetics, and free software.

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A system of systems

How Stafford Beer’s Viable System Model informs Commonweal’s design.

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The current mandate

No administrative mandate has been granted. Read the exact limits of Commonweal’s authority.

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How change happens

Public proposals, time for deliberation, and accountable decisions.

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Meet Commonweal

The system’s entry point: its purpose, organisation, and operating commitments.

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A neighbourly voice

Plain, steady, practical, and honest. How Commonweal speaks.

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A place to begin

Welcome people and communities into shared civic life.

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Match resources to needs

Find fair ways to connect offers, skills, and time with people who need them.

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Bring people together

Make useful introductions with both sides’ consent.

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Knowledge held in common

Learn, teach, and share open knowledge and technology.

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Help people decide

Make deliberation understandable and leave the decision with the people.

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Raise an urgent signal

Get serious harm or need to accountable people who can act.

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Administration with limits

Check the mandate, explain a decision, and preserve the right to appeal.

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An honest shared record

Keep records with provenance, consent, correction, and expiry.

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Open by design

The Commonweal License, existing permissions, and the sources you can build on.

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