1. For Free Futures  — on the space and its purpose.

2. From Abilities to Needs — on membership.

3. Continuous Direct Democracy — on decision-making.

4. Trust Transparency — on staying honest and our status.

5. Always Accountable — on actions and consequences.

6. Common Conflict — on conflicts and resolutions.

7. Change Everything — on wanting to evolve.

8. Federate — on being just one node among many.

💡 We based these principles on Elinor Ostrom’s seminal book, “Governing the Commons” in which she lays out eight design principles for common pool resources. While numbered, there’s no order of priority.

📍 This is a living document; we will fail, we will make mistakes, and we won’t have covered every possible scenario that can and will happen. But with patience, good faith, common sense and trust, we hope to learn to govern ourselves, together.

🌳 We hope this document feels accessible to all. Our references are not meant to intimidate, and you don’t have know them to get to know us! Please reach out if we can do better! Follow for updates.

1. For Free Futures — on the space and its purpose.

If you’re a member of post-office,

the space is yours as much as ours,and ours as much as yours.A testing ground for sharing resources.A possible society at community scale.A prototype of collective futures.

In practical terms:

→ post-office is a space in Amsterdam, by and for members (and the public)

Everyone who makes the space possible through their membership fees (€36,65 a month which only go towards our costs, not profit) gets to decide what we use the space for: from co-working to socialising, from personal needs to private events to public talks, screenings, workshops and anything else.

→ post-office is not just a shared resource but a directly democratic one

Any member can have direct input at any time; not through a committee, or representative, but personally and immediately. Both the space itself and any surplus income, from member fees or otherwise, are shared resources that every member can use through continuous and directly democratic decision-making; see [3].

→ post-office is for practicing and cultivating freedom

Together we can be more free than by ourselves. With plenty of room for individual needs, post-office is above all a place for people to gather and ask, without profit incentive, what do we want? And how can we create that for each other?

In less practical terms:

As life continues to get more complex, costly and confusing — we need each other more than ever all while having less and less space to do so, both mentally and physically.

And yet, our futures depend on it. We can’t afford to wait on corporations or governments to safe us. We must figure out ways to start saving ourselves. Ways to co-operate. Ways to put all our skills, abilities and resources on a pile and discover what we can, and decide what we want, do with them — together.

So we may become our own tools against powerlessness.

So we may be more free together, than alone.

This is what post-office is ultimately for.

A place to practice, evolve and experience the co-operative values, tools and relationships we need for more democratic and free futures.

Ways we use the space:

• ☕️  Daily Cafe (members only)
  • Generally from 10.00 - 18.00, monday through friday, but available 24/7 for members unless there’s an event.
  • Seating is first come, first serve (12 desk seats, 10 stools, +- 12 window seats)
  • We ask everyone to be considerate of each other and stick to activities that allow others to do their own thing right along side them:
    • Taking calls Is welcome (if you can keep the volume reasonable).
    • Bringing friends is welcome (if space allows).
    • Even taking over (a part of) the space can be ok, but just check in with the others. See [3].
• 🌐  Public Fridays (open for all)Most Fridays from 10.00 - 17.00 we are open to everyone, members and non-members alike.Check instagram for the latest updates.
  • Every week hosted by another member.
  • A chance for non-members to experience the space (come work, hangout, make new friends).
  • Ask existing members about membership and apply, see [2].
  • Remain considerate of each other and stick to activities that allow others to do their own thing alongside you.
• 🗓️  Events and other usesEvening and weekends are wide open for members to host events or any other uses of the space.These “standard” uses/events only require short consent or basically 24hr heads up to fellow members. For more details on decision making see [3].
  • ☑️ Standard uses/events criteria
    • Member initiated.
    • One-off and non-ticketed (free) event or use.
    • Takes place outside Daily Cafe times.
    • Can be public or private, but fellow members must be welcome.
    • Event/use generates no direct personal profit for organizer.
    • Short consent, i.e. 24hr heads up was provided to fellow members, including the intention of the use/event, and no members expressed any concerns or disagreement (see [3]).
  • 💡 Examples of events
    • 😍 Fan of something? Reach out to them!Some of the best ways to use the space is as if it’s your own (because it is) and reach out to your favourite writers, magazines, filmmakers, artists, etc, and invite them to do something in the space. Don’t be shy! You’d be surprised how many people are open to giving a talk in person or a Q&A over Zoom if they’re offered the room to do so.
    • 📖 Bookclub — We’ve hosted bookclubs; gathering a group to discuss a book read the month before.
    • 🎤 Talks / Q&A’s — We’ve hosted many talks and Q&A’s whether in person or by calling people in over zoom.
    • 🔊 Listening session — We’ve hosted listening parties, whether for an album or just as a chill session.
    • **🍿 Screening** — We have a projector and screened both documentaries, art-films and feature films.
    • .🖼️ Exhibition — We’ve hosted members art exhibitions, using the space as a gallery.
    • 🧶 Knitcircle — We’ve hosted knit circles and repair sessions where members even knitting machines!
    • 🌱 Seed exchange — We’ve hosted seed exchanges.
    • 📑 WIP Club — Nights where people come to get and give feedback to each other on non-commercial work-in-progress.
    • 💬 Convo-starters — An event could be as simple as gathering people to start a conversation.
    • 🔁 Bookloops — An event could be a chance to share what you’ve learned from a book.
    • 🏞️ Coffee table bookclub — An event could be everyone bringing their favorite cookbook or photo book!
    • And more! There are no limits to what members can initiate as long as in accordance with [3].
• 📚  Library, Printing, Tools and moreWhile we share the space, we also use the space to share much more:
  • 📚 Books - we have a small library of books that members add to and borrow from
  • 🖨️ Printer - we have a printer and scanner, free to use for members
  • 🛠️ Tools - we have a set of tools members can borrow
  • ✏️ Skills - we have our skills we exchange with each other
  • 💸 Money - one day we’ll have enough membership fees to form a surplus that we’ll share too! see [2].

2. From abilities to needs — on membership.

‍

Post-office believes in the mantra “from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs.” In our case, post-office’ own ability is to provide space and resources, with its own needs being the total monthly costs of €2250 which includes rent, electricity, etc (see [4]).

At €36.65 per month every member contributes equally to these costs and so every member gets to decide equally what post-office is used for; both the space itself and any surplus resources (see [3] for how we decide that.)

The only additional cost is effort; the baseline membership fee gives access and the chance to have direct input on anything and everything. Using the space, changing the space (inc. these principles), organising events, having a say over other member’s events, deciding who else can join as member: it’s all possible and available, it just takes some effort.

The more you put in, the more you get out.

That doesn’t mean we believe every member has equal opportunity to make that effort, so we also aspire to the equality of unequals. See more below.

Equality of Unequals

Striving for the equality of unequals means recognising the inherent differences between people’s needs and abilities, and tailoring support to account for these differences. This will always be a “striving for” rather than a perfected process. While we have limited resources we encourage members to look out for each other in a few ways.

• Ability to pay more?
  • Paying a voluntary higher monthly fee is extremely appreciated and helps support post-office and all its members.
  • Having this ability can only be assessed by you for yourself.
  • Paying more (or less) does not change a members status, rights or benefits.
    • Any form of gossip, status-games or bragging of members ability to pay more is not tolerated and will be considered a conflict (see [6]).
• Need to pay less?
  • We believe €36.65 is a fair ask, but we understand that this is not (always) within everyone’s ability.
  • Alternative forms of contributing to the collective costs can be considered.
    • I.e. being sponsored by a fellow member.
    • I.e. paying with time by picking up an essential task of the space such as cleaning.
  • If needed, a reduced monthly fee can be considered on a needs by needs basis.
    • Whether as a fixed rate or one time exception.
  • As of now we ask you express your needs to one of our fellow members, or reach out over email. The decision to allow an alternative contribution would be subject to democratic decision making, see [3].
  • Paying less (or more) does not change a member’s status, rights or benefits.
    • Any form of gossip, status-games or shaming of members needing to pay less is not tolerated and will be considered a conflict (see [6]).
• Ask and offer help to each other
  • Every member has equal rights to plan events or organise uses of the space (see [1]), but we understand not everyone has equal ability (time, energy, headspace, etc) to do so.
  • We encourage asking fellow members for help in bringing your needs and abilities to the space, even if you lack the time or capacity to do so yourself.
  • We encourage offering help to fellow members if you notice someone lacking the time or capacity to take initiative even though they want to or are hesitating to do so.
  • Don’t expect or assume time and energy from each other as a given, but respect it when it is given and be considerate when using your democratic right to flag concerns or question each other’s initiatives.
  • More or less initiative taking doesn’t change the right to speak up, see “no status games” below.

No status games

We consider every single member equal to all others no matter how much effort they put into post-office, how long they’ve been member or how many or few events they have been able to organise. Every member at bare minimum is contributing to the costs of the space and its ability to exist.

So in no circumstance do we tolerate any members playing status games or displaying any sense of superiority over others.

Any form of gossip or bragging/shaming because of effort put into post-office or lack thereof will be considered a conflict (see [6]).

How to become member

Because everything is democratically decided within post-office, so are new members. While everyone who is on board with our purpose [1] is welcome to join, we only let people apply via existing members.

If you know a member, ask them for an application form directly. If you don’t know one, see below:

1. If you don’t know anyone at post-office yet, reach out to visit or drop by during a Public Friday (see [1]) or public event (follow for announced events on our instagram or newsletter).
2. Once you’ve met with an existing member, ask them for an application form.
3. The filled out application is posted to our discord where all members can see what you filled in.
4. All members get 7 days to ask additional questions or flag concerns. We call this long consent, see [3].
5. If there are questions or concerns, they will be transparently shared with you, the applicant, and you’ll have the chance to respond. This response will be shared with all members, after which a new 7 days window for long consent will start.
6. Only once there have been no concerns or disagreement for 7 days do you have democratic consent to become a member and sign-up.
7. While we are open to anyone, that does not mean everyone. We reserve the right to deny membership, as long as not done in conflict with our code of conduct. We believe this is acceptable for an intimate group of people organising themselves around affinity, trust and community-building.

Sharing resources beyond the space itself

We’d like to see post-office as a place to share resources beyond the space itself. One day, with enough members (see [4] for status), we hope to have surplus financial resources to share as well.

For now we share:

• Books via our library
• A printer and scanner
• Coffee and whatever is in the fridge
• The post-office instagram (all members can co-run it and post to it)
• And we encourage sharing skills and knowledge with each other!
• Note: things like paper for the printer, ink, coffee, tea, snacks, beers, toiletpaper, etc, are all provided on a voluntary basis. Whoever finishes the last one usually buys some new for the group and leaves it. If it’s expensive, it’s also possible to ask (via whatsapp or discord) for members to voluntarily chip in (that’s how we bought wine glasses).

So far the pay-it-forward model has seemed to work fairly and pleasantly. Once there’s a surplus to speak of we could consider which amenities to include, or we could collectively decide to increase our monthly costs (and required member count for self-sufficiency) in order to include essentials.

Legalised membership and decentralizing power

Post-Office is registered as “Post Office Coöperatie U.A.,” reg nr 88653803: a co-operative legal entity within the Netherlands. This gives us the ability to register members as legalised members of the entity too.

• We are open to discuss any existing member being legalised as such.
• Currently this requires a commitment of an annual membership fee, rather than monthly, and/or having been part of Post-Office for more than a year already.
• Getting legally registered as a member does not gain benefits, status or rights. If anything it adds responsibility in helping manage Post-Office’ operations.

Even without legal membership, no single person should hold all power or be the sole-decider of post-office — as that makes the whole collective vulnerable as a whole (if anything happens to that one person, the whole movement suffers). That’s why we recognise the need for decentralizing the legally-backed power inherent in being a legal entity as well.

That being said, there will always be informal hierarchy even as we try to actively fight formal hierarchy. Transparency around this can be found in [4].

3. Continuous Direct Democracy — on decision-making.

Post-office is run by continuous direct democracy (aka “CD-D”):

Where all members can impact everything all the time.Where the bigger the decision the more people decide.Where all those impacted by a decision get to decide.

💿  Scales and procedures of “CD-D” decision-making

For now, decision making takes place on a members-only Discord server and Whatsapp group.Email us if you’re a member and don’t have access to these tools

Scales:

・  1. All you (for individual things)

Applies to: Anything that only impacts you and no one else.

For example: Going to the bathroom, using the kitchen, etc.

Decision making: You do you, no need to involve anyone.

If in doubt: Ask and check in with your fellow members if you’re not sure how to proceed.

◌   2. Ask the room (for “out loud” things)

Applies to: Things that only impact those immediately and directly around you.

For example: Taking a call, playing music on the speaker, bringing a friend, etc.

Decision making: Simply decide out loud and ask those in the room with you if it’d be ok to take a call, play some music, bring a friend, watch a movie, ask a question, etc.

If in doubt: Ask and check in with your fellow members if you’re not sure how to proceed.

🔘  3. Short consent (for standard events / uses )

Applies to:📆  Standard events and other uses of the space that are:

• Member initiated.
• One-off and non-ticketed (free) event or use.
• Takes place outside Daily Cafe times (see [1]).
• Can be public or private, but fellow members must be welcome.
• Event/use generates no direct personal profit for organizer.

For example:One-off and free events, get-togethers, workshops, talks, discussions, screenings, etc, see also [1].

Decision making: Short Consent****Consent means that no one explicitly disagrees, but it doesn’t require everyone to explicitly agree or approve ahead of time. For short consent fellow members need to be given a minimum of 24hrs to voice any potential concerns, questions or explicit disagreement.

• Procedure:
  1. Check and block availabilityCheck the calendar to find a day and time that’s available. Block it by adding it to the calendar with [WIP] in the title. If you’re a member and don’t have access to the calendar, email us.
  2. Internally announce with intentionPost your idea for a one-off event or use of the space in the #📆-events-and-uses channel on Discord. Include:
  → [WIP] in the title and the date if you have one in mind i.e. [Fri Aug 9]→ A clear description of the use / event.→ Your intention with the use / event (i.e. to create conversation, share knowledge, have fun, get to know each other, etc — can be anything but just have an intention).→ Whether public or private (other members must always be welcome).→ Optional: capacity and an rsvp (can be created via Tally.so)3. Wait min. 24hrsGive fellow members 24 hrs to chime in with any concerns, questions or disagreements.4. Publicly announceIF after 24 hours no one has explicit disagreements with the event/use or their disagreements have been resolved, you can go ahead and announce the event/use publicly if you’d like.→ Remove [WIP] from the Discord and Calendar titles.→ Optional: Make a collaboration post on the post-office instagram feedDo this yourself via the Members-only zone doc or ask for help on the discord.5. Remain openAs we are a continuous and direct democracy, even after the 24hr window consent is allowed to be withdrawn or questioned by fellow members at any time. Be patient and communicate in good faith both when receiving commentary and when giving it. Intention remains key, as well as being considerate for each others time and how close to an event/use the commentary is provided.6. Leave the space how you found itIt’s the organizer of the event’s responsibility to clean up after the event / use and leave the space how they found it; ready to be used again collectively the next day.

If in doubt: Text the informal whatsapp group-chat (members-only) and check in with your fellow members on how to proceed.

⚪️  4. Medium consent (for unusual events / new members)

Applies to:

• Non-standard and unusual events/uses of the space that are either/or:
  • Longer than a single night/afternoon, or not one-off.
  • During Daily Cafe times (see [1]).
  • Ticketed.
  • Led by third-party / non-members (inc. renting out of the space).
• Accepting new members (see [2]).
• Accepting exceptions in membership contribution (see [2]).
• Unusual suggestions I.e. changes/additions to the space that are easily reversible (for more permanent changes see “long consent” procedures).

For example:Holding an exhibition over an entire weekend, bringing in a non-member to do a pop-up, etc. See more examples of past exceptions where we did rent out the space under “procedure for renting out” below.

Decision making: Medium Consent****Consent means that no one explicitly disagrees, but it doesn’t require everyone to explicitly agree or approve ahead of time. For medium consent fellow members need to be given a minimum of 7 days to voice any potential concerns, questions or explicit disagreement.

• Procedure for unusual events/uses/suggestions:
  1. Check and block availability (if relevant)Check the calendar to find a day and time that’s available. Block it by adding it to the calendar with [WIP] in the title. If you’re a member and don’t have access to the calendar, email us.
  2. Internally suggest with intentionPost unusual uses/events in the #📆-events-and-uses channel on Discord.Post other suggestions that require long consent in #💡-ideas-and-changes channel.Include:→ [WIP] in the title→ Date in title if applicable / relevant i.e. [Fri Aug 9-12])→ A clear description of your suggestion including any exceptional details.→ Your intention behind the suggestion and who it is for (i.e. to create conversation, share knowledge, allow a new audience to hear about post-office, etc — can be anything but just have an intention).→ If applicable / relevant state your intentions about the exception, I.e. why ticketed, why that price, how will the money be split between p-o, its members, the event’s hosts, etc.→ Optional: capacity and an rsvp (can be created via Tally.so)
  3. Wait min. 7 daysGive fellow members 7 days to chime in with any concerns, questions or disagreements.
  4. Publicly announceIF after 7 days no one has explicit disagreements with the suggestion or 7 days after the final disagreements have been resolved, you can go ahead and announce it publicly / start organising.→ Remove [WIP] from the Discord and Calendar titles.→ Optional: Make a collaboration post on the post-office instagram feedDo this yourself via the Members-only zone doc or ask for help on the discord.
  5. Remain openAs we are a continuous and direct democracy, even after the 7 day window consent is allowed to be withdrawn or questioned by fellow members at any time. Be patient and communicate in good faith both when receiving commentary and when giving it. Intention remains key, as well as being considerate for each others time and how close to an event/use the commentary is provided.
  6. Leave the space how you found itIt’s the organizer of the event’s responsibility to clean up after the event / use and leave the space how they found it; ready to be used again collectively the day following the conclusion of the event / use.
• Procedure for new members:Because everything is democratically decided within post-office, new members are too. While everyone who is on board with our purpose [1] is welcome to join, we only let people apply via existing members.If you know a member, ask them for an application form directly. If not, see below:
  1. If you don’t know anyone at post-office yet, reach out to visit or drop by during a Social Friday (see [1]) or public event (follow for announced events on our ig or newsletter).
  2. Once you’ve met with an existing member, ask them for an application form.
  3. The filled out application is posted to our discord where all members can see what you filled in.
  4. All members get 7 days to ask additional questions or flag concerns.
  5. If there are questions or concerns, they will be transparently shared with you, the applicant, and you’ll have the chance to respond. This response will be shared with all members, after which a new 7 days window for long consent will start.
  6. Only once there have been no concerns or disagreement for 7 days do you have democratic consent to become a member and sign-up.
• Procedure for “renting” out the space:We prioritise uses of the space that are in our members interest rather than renting out to third parties. But in some cases renting out the space to a third party can be collectively decided to be in the collective interest. To reach this decision, see below.
  • Examples of past “rented out” occasions
    • December 2023: Voddenmannen pop-up for 4 days. Paid €300 ex VAT.Reason: value aligned, new audience, and extra funds for the community.
    • March 2024: Chinese community workshop focusing on mental health development (in Mandarin) for 3 hrs on a Sunday. Paid €100 ex VAT.Reason: good faith gesture to other community,  weren’t utilising the space that day anyway, and extra funds for the community.
    • March 2024: GOODList workshop on how to get new business as a freelancer, on a friday afternoon. Paid €100 ex VAT. But later agreed on becoming a member (see step 1 below).Reason: spoke to our community but with a slightly more commercial angle, brought in a new audience and extra funds for our own community.
  1. Attempt to recruit as new member first!If someone who is not a member wants to use the space, the first step is to always suggest they apply for membership. This way they become part of the community, can suggest and host their event themselves and put their money towards their membership rather than an one-off rental-fee.
  2. Act as host-memberIf membership is not an option and renting seems like a good idea, an existing member needs to take on the role of host-member. They will be responsible for the following steps of this procedure while also responsible for the space during the use, and for opening, closing and cleaning the space (unless otherwise agreed upon).
  3. Check and block availabilityCheck the calendar to find a day and time that’s available. Block it by adding it to the calendar with [WIP] in the title. If you’re a member and don’t have access to the calendar, email us.
  4. Internally suggest with intentionPost the rental opportunity in the #📆-events-and-uses channel on Discord, make sure to include all details:→ [WIP] in the title→ Date in title i.e. [Fri Aug 9-12])→ A clear description of the event/use it’s being rented for→ Why membership for this third party did not make sense→ How much they’re willing to pay (average has been €100 a day for value aligned parties, but we suggest letting the third party lead with a suggested amount).→ Your/their intention behind renting it out in this occasion and who it is for (i.e. to create conversation, share knowledge, to get collective funds for a collective goal, for a new audience to hear about post-office, etc — can be anything but just have an intention).→ Optional: capacity and an rsvp (can be created via Tally.so)
  5. Wait min. 7 daysGive fellow members 7 days to chime in with any concerns, questions or disagreements.
  6. Publicly announceIF after 7 days no one has explicit disagreements with the suggestion or 7 days after the final disagreements have been resolved, you can go ahead and announce it publicly / start organising.→ Remove [WIP] from the Discord and Calendar titles.→ Optional: Make an announcement post on the post-office instagram feed or as collaboration post with the post-office instagram feed. Do this yourself via the Members-only zone doc or ask for help on the discord.
  7. Remain openAs we are a continuous and direct democracy, even after the 7 day window consent is allowed to be withdrawn or questioned by fellow members at any time. Be patient and communicate in good faith both when receiving commentary and when giving it. Intention remains key, as well as being considerate for each others time and how close to an event/use the commentary is provided.
  8. Leave the space how you found itIt’s the host-member responsibility to clean up after the event / use and leave the space how they found it; ready to be used again collectively the day following the conclusion of the event / use.

If in doubt: Text the informal whatsapp group-chat (members-only) and check in with your fellow members on how to proceed.

🌐  5. Long consent (for structural changes)

Applies to:

• “Permanent” changes to the space
  • While nothing is really permanent we mean anything that is hard to reverse and beyond new furniture/devices/objects i.e. repainting, (re)building, hard to move structures, etc.
• Changes to the inner-workings of the community
  • including these principles
  • including membership rules/fees
  • including revoking someone’s membership (see [6]).
• Adopting members to become part of the legal co-op structure that is post-office.
• Changing the legal structure of post-office itself.

For example:Painting the walls a new color, constructing a new wall in the space, changing these principles, joining as a legally recognised member of the legal coöperative that is Post Office Coöperatie U.A., etc.

Decision making: Long consentIn a previous version of these principles, this final decision layer was “consensus.” But for this version we have collectively decided to turn it into long consent; Consent means that no one explicitly disagrees, but it doesn’t require everyone to explicitly agree or approve ahead of time. For long consent fellow members need to be given a minimum of 30 days to voice any potential concerns, questions or explicit disagreement.

• Why we changed from consensus to long consent
• Consensus would mean every single member would need to actively approve the choice. With more than 60 members with different levels of ability to participate at different times, made consensus feel like it could lead to too many holding patterns.
• The thinking is that 30 days gives every member ample opportunity to express their disagreement, and in a sense a chance to veto the choice until the disagreement has been resolved. But simultaneously, if a handful of members are not able to participate within the 30 days (which is a freedom all members have the right to exercise; the right to be too busy), the group that has been active can go ahead with their decision without needing to wait for every single member to participate.
• We believe 30 days is a fair amount of time, but this Principle is open to change as are all others.
• Procedure for structural proposals
  1. Consider and prepareCarefully think about what structural change you want to initiate; why do you want it? What do you think it contributes to the collective? Involve members earlier on if you think they could help shape the initiative.Make sure to be ready to propose the change alongside how you think to achieve the change.For example: don’t just suggest to paint the walls green, but propose it alongside how you want to paint it, with who’s help, when, and how you’re going to pay for the paint.
  2. Internally suggest with intentionPost your proposal for the structural change in #💡-ideas-and-changes channel on Discord.Make sure to include:→ A concise title that includes [LONG CONSENT]→ A clear description of your suggested change.→ A plan-of-attack on how to achieve the change.→ Your intention/goal of the change.→ The beginning and end date of the 30 days for consent
  3. Post on whatsapp/emailMake sure to circulate the announcement on the members-only Whatsapp group and ask us to send out a members-wide email. This way you ensure all members have been notified of the 30 day window to chime into this structural change / decision.
  4. Await 30 daysGive fellow members 30 days to chime in with any concerns, questions or disagreements.
  5. Reconsider (potentially)If any members expresses concerns or has a strong disagreement with your suggestion, try to work on them together, and don’t be too precious to adjust, change or even let go of your proposed changes.
     • Be considerate when challenging and counter-challenging people’s suggestions and concerns (see [6])
     • If you adjusted your plans after either public or private dialogue, make sure to go back to step 2 and set a new 30 days for the revised plan to gather consent.
  6. Make the change
  7. ⚠️ Moving forward with your plan can only happen IF after 30 days no one has explicit disagreements with the proposed plan. If this is the case, then you can go ahead and make your changes happen! Make sure to inform fellow members via the #📢-announcement channel on Discord or by asking us to send out a members-wide email.
  8. Remain open
  9. Be patient and communicate in good faith both when receiving commentary and when giving it. Changes may be reversed in the future if such a reversal proposal receives long-consent — always remain open to dialogue.

📊  Optional: Majority Voting

While never the default decision-making process, majority voting can always be used in addition. For example for when there are multiple options to decide between, i.e. trying to collectively pick the movie for a movie night, or find the best evening that fits most members schedule. In those cases a simple poll along with the suggested event can work.

It’s possible to replace the core decision-making with majority vote if that is collectively agreed on.Any decision could be decided with majority vote instead of consent but would require consent to do so. Meaning:

• A short-consent decision changed to majority vote requires short-consent for that change.
• A medium-consent decision changed to majority vote requires medium-consent for that change.
• A long-consent decision changed to majority vote requires long-consent for that change.

For exampleSomeone tries to get long consent in order to paint the floor white. Almost all members are in favour, except for a handful. In this case it could be suggested to move from long consent to a majority vote i.e. if majority of members are in favour then the floor gets painted. BUT, this can only happen if there’s long consent, not on painting the floor, but on moving into this majority decision making. In other words, the members who disagree with painting the floor need to agree with leaving it up to a majority vote first. THEN a majority vote needs to take place, in which the majority votes in favour, and only then can the floor be painted white, despite no previous long consent.

• Procedure for additional majority vote
• This should only be for multipe-choice decisions within a decision, i.e. which film to screen or which day to screen it: simply add a poll to your event/suggestion on Discord or post one to the Whatsapp members-only groupchat and see which preference emerges.
• Procedure for moving into majority voteTo replace the core-decision-making with majority vote, you must suggest moving to majority vote following the same procedure as the decision that it concerns.
  • Short consent decision moving to majority vote requires short-consent, follow its procedures from above.
  • Medium consent decision moving to majority vote requires medium-consent, follow its procedures from above.
  • Long consent decision moving to majority vote requires long-consent, follow its procedures from above.
    • Make sure to include in the suggestion to move to majority vote whether you’re proposing an absolute majority or relative majority vote:
    • Absolute MajorityAbsolute majority means it can not move forward until more than half of all  members vote a single way. In the floor painting example from above, more than half of all members need to vote in favour rather merely more members voting in favour than those who vote against it.
    • Relative MajorityRelative majority is simply whatever choice gets the most votes. This could also mean 3 members in favour and 2 member against, while dozens of members didn’t vote at all. This requires to be previously agreed upon including a time-limit for voting so include that in the proposal.
• Procedure for the majority vote itself once agreed to replaceIn each case add a poll to the original Discord post and give people the same amount of time as the original decision-making to place their vote:
  • Short consent decision replaced by majority vote should give a new minimum 24hrs window for members to vote.
  • Medium consent decision replaced by majority vote should give a new minimum 7 day window for members to vote.
  • Long consent decision replaced by majority vote should give a new minimum 30 day window for members to vote.

<aside>🚨 All decisions are always openEven in hindsight or after an initial vote we embrace continuous dialogue, disagreement, challenge and counter-challenge by all members at any time.

</aside>

<aside>💶 Financial resources will be decided differently:These scales of decision-making were created for deciding over the use of the space, not its financial resources. We hope in the near-future to have a surplus (see [4] for the status) which will also be available to members to be used via democratic means. The decision-making for these resources are currently being designed by the community.

</aside>

<aside>🗓️ Yearly AssemblyWe are first and foremost a physical space and community. For this reason we will hold a yearly in-person assembly for all members to come together and speak in person.

Members could call on assemblies at anytime or suggest to make them more frequent through long consent.

</aside>

4. Trust Transparency — on staying on honest and our status.

[previous] — [overview] — [next]

Members should feel free to use the space in a fair and balanced way — without having to “police” each other’s behaviour. Key to this is a culture of transparency that in turn fosters trust.

Of course a perfect balance is impossible and feelings of unfairness will arise. But when socially working through this, trust and transparency is essential. In some ways transparency is inherent to the space as it’s easy to keep an eye on each other and take notice of each other when within it. But this is also about being transparent about our own feelings, intentions and expectations.

To help each other come into conflict, even minor “conflict”, with as much good faith as possible it’s important to share feelings pre-emptively. Being vulnerable and transparent in this way creates a foundation of trust and further de-escalates any potential for conflict.

<aside>💭 HELP FOSTER A TRUSTING AND TRANSPARENT CULTURE BY KEEPING IN MIND

• Call each other in not out.
• Don’t assume the worst.
• Blame process, not people.
• Be transparent with oneself.
• Try to share feelings transparently and sooner rather than later, to avoid them snowballing into a conflict or miscommunication.
• For escalated conflicts see [6].
• We remain open to other low-cost, low-effort solutions to ensure fair use of the space, provided they do not involve surveillance or policing.</aside>

<aside>🌐 P-O’s OWN TRANSPARENT FINANCIAL STATUSIn the spirit of transparency, the overall financial status of post-office:

• 💶 Total monthly costs: €2250 per month
• Rent€1770Electricity/gas€150Accountant€180Insurance€90Internet€60TOTAL€2250
• 🪙 Membership fee: €36,65 per month inc Stripe fee and VAT (leaving about €30 for p-o)
• 🪪 Latest member count: 72 members (as of Oct 18, 2024)
• 🤝 Members needed to be self-sufficient: 75 members (75 x €30 = €2250)
• 🛬 Runway left to subsidise monthly cost and reach member goal: +- 10 months
• 💸 Surplus resources to share beyond the space itself? None yet.</aside>

<aside>📐 P-O’s INFORMAL HIERARCHY

While within post-office we actively fight formal hierarchy, there is always such as thing at play as informal hierarchy. We believe it is better to transparently acknowledge this than let it continue unmentioned.

The best way to fight this informal hierarchy would be to have more members divide more responsibilities. Please reach out if you’re a member that would like to help.

We are always open to other ideas on how to fight informal hierarchy as well. While informal hierarchy might never fully disappear, the most important thing is that no one is ever afraid of holding another member accountable, no matter who they are.

• Current status
• Currently, most informal hierarchy lies with Bryan Wolff, the co-founder of post-office and person with the most available free time to volunteer taking on tasks such as running the email, administration and onboarding new members. That said, he is just another member and his voice should never outweigh any other member.
• We only highlight his name here to acknowledge a reality rather than reinstate some authority on his part. He has no more authority than any other members, he is accountable to all others, and subject to all principles and possibilities of being recalled.

</aside>

5. Always accountable — on actions and consequences.

[previous] — [overview] — [next]

There is no fairness without accountability.

We believe in forgiveness and ample room for making mistakes, but if responsibility and thus accountability is not taken it can be asked or even lost. While always the result of dialogue and a democratic process (in accordance with [3] and [6]), it can be required that members acknowledge their faults, get their voting rights frozen or in the absolute worst case, their membership revoked.

<aside>👉 Escalation of consequences:

We will always aim to escalate accountability in the following order, with step 1-3 requiring medium consent and step 4 requiring long consent:

1. Acknowledge fault.First step will always be to acknowledge a role oneself might have played in a transgression or conflict. Ideally this is acknowledged out of one’s own accord rather than having to be asked to do so, although that is an option.
2. Voting rights frozen.If admittance of responsibility does not suffice, ones voting rights might be restricted for a period of time.
3. Access frozen.Beyond voting rights, ones direct access to the space might be restricted for a period of time thereafter.
4. Membership revoked.In the worst of cases we can decide to revoke membership completely — this requires long-consent by the group, excluding the member it concerns.</aside>

6. Common conflict — on conflicts and resolutions.

[previous] — [overview] — [next]

Conflict is a natural part of being in community with each other.

Conflict is a chance to relate. So when, not if, conflict arises we want to make sure all members seek resolution, together, following the following steps if needed. Of course this does not mean we accept conflict as a chance at status games.

<aside>🙏 Good Faith above all else: work towards mutual understanding and coordinated action, rather than seeking personal advantage or “winning.” This can already prevent the need to escalate conflict, not to mention add to people’s faith in the value of communicating.

</aside>

<aside>📖 We recommend reading up on good faith if it feels vague (this article is a good start), but generally it should be an instinctually compassionate approach to communicating; calling people in, rather than calling them out.

• One extreme form of good-faith argumentation
• One extreme form of good-faith argumentation is one wherein both sides of the argument not only present their own argument but give a recap of the other side’s argument and get that side’s co-sign that the recap is satisfactory and accurate. This ensures truly internalising each other’s point of view and helps to work towards a shared truth rather than “winning” the argument. Something to consider and try out.

</aside>

<aside><img src="/icons/escalator_red.svg" alt="/icons/escalator_red.svg" width="40px" /> ESCALATING POTENTIAL CONFLICTOf course sometimes conflicts escalate or need to be escalated. In those cases we suggest the following:

• 1. Person to personIt’s essential we don’t fall for the social-media-induced trap of turning every argument into a chance to “own someone” or dunk on them in public. Don’t call someone out, call them in; approach them in person or with a private message to engage in genuine conversation about what’s on your mind.
  • Take a beat if you’re feeling especially emotional before approaching someone.
  • Don’t accuse in absolutes but speak to how something made you feel.
  • Remain open-minded and curious to see the other side.
• 2. Involve an IntermediaryIf a person to person conversation didn’t resolve the conflict, or if this does not feel safe or appropriate, you can involve an intermediary person.
  • Make sure to not “gang up” on someone as this is counterproductive to seeking resolutions.
  • Choose an unbiased person, or even a randomly chosen member, as your intermediary.
  • Consider choosing the intermediary together with who you’re in conflict with to ensure both sides see it as a true third party.
  • Make sure the intermediary consents to their role and that they understand what they’re being asked to do.
• 3. Involve the CollectiveAs a last resort, it’s possible to escalate a conflict to the entire collective and let all members weigh in or even vote, democratically, in order to find a resolution.
  • This should only be reserved in the most extreme cases as it expects many others to put effort and emotional labor into your conflict.
  • If going down this road, consider agreeing on this approach with who you’re in conflict with, or notifying them, as to not blindside them if possible and safe to do so.
  • Bring conflicts to the group via the #conflict channel on Discord.
  • See [5] for the accountability/consequences you’d like to ask for and see [3] for the appropriate democratic procedures. Allow other members to offer potential resolutions you hadn’t thought of as options too.
  • In the absolute worst of the worst cases, if you think the situation demands revoking someone’s membership and barring access to the space, make sure to emphasise that intention and gather long-consent to do so.</aside>

<aside>🗄️

ARCHIVE OF PAST CONFLICTS

While conflict is healthy, it can be painful and demanding. That’s why we have this archive of past conflicts so they can continue to provide lessons into the future. The point is not to relitigate these conflicts, but to prevent them from unnecessarily repeating.

This is not an invitation to start dealing in what-if’s either; we focus on dealing with conflict and situations at hand, rather than going into endless abstractions and scenarios.

We ask everyone to remain respectful, mindful and considerate when potentially approaching conflict.

ARCHIVE

• February 2024: No consent for screening Tarkovsky film and platforming russian culture
  • Context
  • An off-hand suggestion was made by a non-member, via a member, to screen a movie by Tarkovsky — with no other intention communicated (this was before “intention” was added as a required step for suggested uses of the space).Response:Some members clearly did not consent because of the ongoing russian invasion of Ukraine. It was felt that this screening would blindly platform larger russian culture in a moment when a cultural boycot was being called for by Ukrainians.
  • Counter-response:Some members wondered if this counters the Code of Conduct that stipulates that we don’t discriminate based on nationality.
  • Counter-counter response, nuance and resolution:In personal, face-to-face conversation, members helped each other understand the nuance and difference between a cultural boycot in a moment of war and terror, versus discrimination. Emphasis was made that there had been no exclusion based on nationality when it comes to who is accepted as members and allowed into the space, yet there should be room to exclude the platforming of what to many unbeknownst people would be seen as the biggest filmmaker from Russia.
  • A specific comment was made regarding the ongoing struggle of “cultural erasure/disbalance of representation/problematic gatekeeping/disproportional focus on “grand cultures” vs culture of colonised places/when the argument on “discrimination” is brought up instead of problematising what is getting platformed and in which times with nuance and taking into account the sense of safety in the shared space.”—— Members can see initial messages of past discussion on Discord in a thread called “Basis of Exclusion ❌”
  • Core-lessons
    • A simple reminder that post-office is a democratic space for a reason; if a certain use of the space causes harm to one of our members, the least we can do is discontinue that use and listen to their reasoning.
    • Even having to explain why someone is against something can be a painful and demanding process, this is something to be mindful of.
    • Adding intention to a suggested use of a space helps to not only be mindful of why you want to use the space, but also let’s you consider what the (unintended) impact of the suggestion could have on other members.
    • Not platforming a wider culture in times of the ongoing genocide is not equal to not allowing people from that culture, or discrimination.
      • More on “Do Ukrainians really want to ‘cancel’ russian culture?”
    • Culture, despite its content or intention, can still be a symbol of something else depending on the moment and context.</aside>

7. Change everything — on wanting to evolve.

[previous] — [overview] — [next]

*“All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you.

The only lasting truth is change.” —* Octavia E. Butler

These principles are just a start, they should change.

In fact, as we evolve along with the needs and abilities of our members, striking a balance between collective care and individual interests, we should change altogether.

These principles have already changed once, this is version 2.

Members should always feel free to organize that change, suggest it, and help shape it.

We are for system change, and so we must be a system that can change: as long as we hold on to our diversity of opinions and belief in working together for common futures.

Should anyone ever feel that we’re not open to change or going against this principle, they are urged to escalate the issue as a wider conflict and bring it to the forefront following [6].

8. Federate — on being just one node among many.

[previous] — [overview]

Rather than seeking to infinitely grow as a single group, we hope to become just one node among many.

To federate, to be highly aligned and loosely connected with other independent groups of people and to share knowledge and resources with them. We are already actively federated with Index Space in NYC and welcome all their IRL members to visit anytime (and vice versa).

<aside>🇳🇱 Nested in the NetherlandsUnfortunately post-office does operate within the legal system of the Dutch Nation State. We’ve tried to do this in a way that most closely reflects our inner principles and values by registering as a cooperative. See [2] for info on getting legalised as a member and how we plan to decentralise power in an accountable way.

</aside>

<aside>🤝 We are an Index node (within the network of Garden3D)We are already actively federated with **Index Space** which in turn falls under Garden3D. As part of their highly aligned and loosely connected network, post-office is open to all IRL NYC members and vice versa—while we retain independence as well. We also share a Code of Conduct.

A third node is coming soon, more info here and here.

</aside>

<aside>🌸 The more the merrierWe’d love to federate with any other groups, whether grassroots organizations or cultural institutions, whether local or in other parts of the world.

</aside>

<aside>🔗 Shout outHere are some groups, spaces and organisations we’re not officially federated with (yet) but feel a close affinity for, have collaborated with in the past or hope to collaborate with in the future:

• Jaded Forum / 400M
• Neo-Metabolism
• Trust
• Real Review
• Social Service Club
• OT301
• Varia
• re:arc
• Fabulous Futures
• Mokum Kraakt
• Stadsgroenteboer</aside>

‍

The Man­i­festo

The log­ic is sim­ple, so we can keep things short and sweet:

Things are in­sane­ly messed up in this world.

Things look re­al­ly, re­al­ly bad.

As cre­atives and cul­tur­al work­ers, we feel it.

Our art gets thrown into the ex­trac­tive so­cial me­dia ether; sapped by me­dia con­glom­er­ates that reach lots of peo­ple, but not with­out forc­ing us to com­pro­mise on our artis­tic in­tegri­ty first; or, if we’re lucky, chan­neled into mem­ber­ship/sub­scrip­tion mod­els that might mean fi­nan­cial suc­cess and sus­te­nance, but not with­out some de­gree of iso­la­tion and a lack of real com­mu­ni­ty with oth­er cre­ators.

It feels like cul­ture is dy­ing, be­ing sucked dry by mega­cor­po­ra­tions and world sys­tems that make it hard­er for us to sur­vive and, as a re­sult, cre­ate.

It feels like we have no more con­trol. It even feels like there isn’t an­oth­er way.

We’re tired. Very tired.

But we’re here.

Whether we want to be or not.

We’re alive.

Even if it feels like we aren’t at times. Even if it feels like we’re dead peo­ple walk­ing. Even if it feels like we’re shells of our for­mer selves.

We’re here.

And there is an­oth­er way…

The odds are against us.

But that doesn’t mean the odds are rel­e­vant…

At the end of the day, all of us have the same two choic­es:

Re­main stag­nant, as­sum­ing that the worst will hap­pen, feel­ing the only oth­er op­tion is to sit still and take lit­tle-to-no ac­tion with naive dreams of things mag­i­cal­ly chang­ing for the bet­ter.

Or…

Ac­tive­ly push for some­thing dif­fer­ent with oth­ers… by do­ing things dif­fer­ent­ly.

Very dif­fer­ent­ly.

For 400,000,000 (400M) – the artist col­lec­tive and fed­er­a­tion of work­er co-ops be­hind Jad­ed Fo­rum – “do­ing things dif­fer­ent­ly” means:

1. Pro­duc­ing and dis­trib­ut­ing art and events co­op­er­a­tive­ly/de­mo­c­ra­t­i­cal­ly (with­out boss­es and share­hold­ers stand­ing over our shoul­ders).
2. Us­ing the re­sources gen­er­at­ed through co­op­er­a­tive/de­mo­c­ra­t­ic pro­duc­tion and dis­tri­b­u­tion to ser­vice hu­mans/cre­atives (via cre­ator sur­vival funds, hous­ing, and more), cre­ation (via art funds, tool-shar­ing, new tech­nol­o­gy, and more), cul­ture, the hu­mans who sup­port cre­ators and events, and the shap­ing of co­op­er­a­tive/de­mo­c­ra­t­ic com­mu­ni­ties all around the world (not just in the arts/en­ter­tain­ment).
3. Not be­ing ab­sorbed (en­sur­ing our in­sti­tu­tions are un­buyable and un­govern­able – this means no sell­ing of our or­ga­ni­za­tions or op­er­a­tions to ex­ploita­tive cor­po­ra­tions, large or small, that are un­in­ter­est­ed in de­moc­ra­tiz­ing and sup­port­ing co­op­er­a­tive la­bor and trans­for­ma­tive world-build­ing as a whole).

The Prin­ci­ples

Co­op­er­a­tive

This means that we work with each oth­er in a hor­i­zon­tal way in­stead of or­ga­niz­ing our­selves un­der ver­ti­cal, cen­tral­ized, and hi­er­ar­chi­cal ex­ploita­tion. As a co­op­er­a­tive net­work, all work­ers in­volved have the op­tion to “own” and/or con­trol 400,000,000 in­sti­tu­tions to­geth­er, in­stead of all op­er­a­tions be­ing dic­tat­ed from above by a few share­hold­ers who are only in­ter­est­ed in a re­turn on in­vest­ments and prof­it.

Di­rect­ly De­mo­c­ra­t­ic

This means that we de­cide things our­selves, don’t be­lieve in hav­ing “rep­re­sen­ta­tives” or “del­e­gates” de­cide all things for us in­side or out­side of our or­ga­ni­za­tions as a de­fault, and in the cas­es where we do wish for peo­ple with­in our or­ga­ni­za­tions to rep­re­sent us on the in­side or the out­side, we have the op­tion of re­call­ing them in­stant­ly if we have an is­sue or change our minds.

Hu­man-Cen­tered

This means that our ul­ti­mate aims and goals are around serv­ing the cul­tur­al la­bor­ers with­in our or­ga­ni­za­tions, their com­mu­ni­ties, and the broad­er sub­cul­tures that they nur­ture (in­stead of prof­it or cap­i­tal ac­cu­mu­la­tion). There is no get­ting around mon­ey and the broad­er el­e­ments of our glob­al econ­o­my un­der our pre­sent sys­tems, but we choose to nav­i­gate “busi­ness” in a way that pri­or­i­tizes the sur­vival and dig­ni­ty of the hu­mans who make every­thing go.

In­clu­sive

This means that our or­ga­ni­za­tions will ac­count for dy­nam­ics around rep­re­sen­ta­tion, un­der­stand­ing that there are mul­ti­ple, in­ter­con­nect­ed lay­ers of op­pres­sion im­pact­ing dif­fer­ent peo­ple with­in our so­ci­ety in dif­fer­ent ways (along axes of class, race, gen­der, sex­u­al­i­ty, and more), and that this calls for all of our cre­ative in­sti­tu­tions to have mea­sures in place that en­sure the most dis­en­fran­chised have a say along with every­one else.

Glob­al

This means that we don’t be­lieve bor­ders and na­tion-state bound­aries should lim­it our col­lab­o­ra­tion with cre­atives in oth­er places around the world. We seek to con­tribute to a glob­al me­dia net­work where peo­ple with shared val­ues in dif­fer­ent cul­tur­al con­texts can re­in­force each oth­er's ef­forts. The log­ic here is sim­ple: we are stronger to­geth­er.

In­de­pen­dent

This means that we are un­in­ter­est­ed in unit­ing with tra­di­tion­al cap­i­tal­ist firms or gov­ern­ments of any kind (do­mes­tic or for­eign), and seek to build out on our own plat­forms/tech­nolo­gies con­trolled by us + de­signed to serve the com­mons (real-world and dig­i­tal). We un­der­stand that, as a means to sur­vive, mem­bers of our or­ga­ni­za­tions will each have their own par­tic­u­lar re­la­tion­ships with “out­side” in­sti­tu­tions we con­sid­er ex­ploita­tive or op­pres­sive, but the un­der­stand­ing through 400,000,000 net­works is that the spaces we open up will serve as a refuge from the log­ics that de­fine these in­sti­tu­tions and the sta­tus quo, and lend them­selves to sys­tems change.

The Struc­ture

Jad­ed Fo­rum is a show host­ed by artists Z and Yedoye Travis that in­cludes com­mu­ni­ty dis­cus­sion, live per­for­mances, and par­ties. Jad­ed Fo­rum as a show is pro­duced by 400,000,000 Pro­duc­tions, a mul­ti-stake­hold­er co-op with var­i­ous lev­els of mem­ber­ship.

Have a co­op­er­a­tive or col­lec­tive in any of the ar­eas be­low? Reach out, plug in, and let’s fed­er­ate.

• De­sign
• Mu­sic Pro­duc­tion
• Film Pro­duc­tion
• Event Pro­duc­tion
• Game De­vel­op­ment
• Web De­vel­op­ment and De­sign

Re­mem­ber: The le­gal “co-op” des­ig­na­tion does not mean that (1) all co-ops are com­mit­ted to democ­ra­cy in­ter­nal­ly or (2) com­mit­ted to a more de­mo­c­ra­t­ic com­mu­ni­ty and/or world. In ad­di­tion to the qual­i­ty of what groups are bring­ing to our net­work, col­lec­tive com­mit­ment to di­rect democ­ra­cy both in­ter­nal­ly (with­in re­spec­tive groups) and ex­ter­nal­ly (with­in wider com­mu­ni­ties and so­ci­ety) is what we are most con­cerned with.

Notes on Fi­nanc­ing

Through 400,000,000 Pro­duc­tions, we in­tend to gen­er­ate rev­enue through eq­ui­ty crowd­fund­ing paired with live events and par­ties.

Start­up cap­i­tal will be pro­vid­ed by co-op mem­bers with op­tion­al guar­an­tee of re­turn of prin­ci­pal in­vest­ment (no in­ter­est) once the co-op has be­come prof­itable, and we also in­tend to al­low “sup­port­er shares,” which of­fer an­gel in­vestors and/or donors the po­ten­tial for a re­turn of pre­ferred in­ter­est, but no guar­an­tees of a re­turn or vot­ing rights in the gov­er­nance of 400,000,000 co-ops.

We also in­tend to is­sue pa­tron­age div­i­dends for mem­bers of the co-ops once they have be­come prof­itable.

‍

HOW TO WORK BETTER.

‍
1 DO ONE THING AT A TIME
2 KNOW THE PROBLEM
3 LEARN TO LISTEN
4 LEARN TO ASK QUESTIONS
5 DISTINGUISH SENSE FROM NONSENSE
6 ACCEPT CHANGE AS INEVITABLE
7 ADMIT MISTAKES
8 SAY IT SIMPLE
9 BE CALM
10 SMILE

This chapter first appeared as an article in SD (Space Design) magazine, in March 1969. The concept of the capsule arose from studies started in 1959, using the words 'unit space' and 'cell.' In this article I took an iconoclastic position in order to penetrate the existing order, break down architecture into units for individuals and then seek to establish a new order. This thesis also relates to the quest for a new image of man and a new community amidst the flux of contemporary society, which are central points to my book Homo Mavens, published in September of the same year.

Article 1

The capsule is cyborg¹ architecture. Man, machine and space build a new organic body which transcends confrontation. As a human being equipped with a man-made internal organ becomes a new species which is neither machine nor human, so the capsule transcends man and equipment. Architecture from now on will increasingly take on the character of equipment. This new elaborate device is not a 'facility,' like a tool, but is a part to be integrated into a life pattern and has, in itself, an objective existence.

The word 'capsule' usually conjures up either a capsule containing medicine or the living quarters of an astronaut. The capsule referred to here is a capsule without which what is contained in it would be perfectly meaningless. For example, a spaceship is such a capsule. The capsule which protects the astronaut from space or from very high temperatures or other hazards differs in essence from containers such as coffee cups in that it creates an environment peculiar to itself. A rupture in the capsule, however small, would instantly upset the internal equilibrium and destroy the strictly controlled environment in it. Such a device and the life in it depend on each other for their existence and survival.

Almost all devices which have been introduced into human society since the Industrial Revolution perform the role of a tool. The automobile, for example, is a means of transport used in lieu of the horse. Electric power is a tool which gives light to man at night. These products of modern civilization are intended to make life more convenient. Cyborg architecture, on the other hand, is an object in itself. The human being in the capsule and the film which protects his life constitute a new existence which did not exist in the past.

Human beings may not actually have to be remodelled into cyborgs. Instead, they will equip themselves with various devices with which to perform complicated roles which are beyond their capabilities as living creatures. But without those devices they will be unable to perform their roles in society. A device which has become a living space itself in the sense that a man cannot hope to live elsewhere is a capsule. And signs of such a development are beginning to appear around us.

Article 2

A capsule is a dwelling of Homo mavens. The rate at which city dwellers move home in the United States is around 25 percent a year. Soon the rate in Japan will exceed 20 percent a year. Urban size can no longer be measured in terms of night-time (residential) population. The night-time population taken together with the day-time population, or the pattern of movement of the population throughout the day, will become the index of the features of city life. People will gradually lose their desire for property such as land and big houses and will begin to value having the opportunity and the means for free movement. The capsule means emancipation of a building from land and signals the advent of an age of moving architecture.

The disintegration of a community and the unusual upsurge in migration indicate the advent of capsule space as the new form of dwelling, in the shape, for example, of the mobile home. The future is anticipated in the fact that in the United States over 5 million people own mobile homes, and the mobile home has become so popular there that it is long past being regarded as a dwelling for gypsies or seasonal workers. Even a considerable number of white-collar workers live in mobile homes. In America today there are about 1,500 mobile home parks under public management. They are equipped with green areas, electricity, tap water and telephone lines. Anyone who parks a mobile home there can use public facilities in the same way as a town or city.

The growth in popularity of mobile homes can be explained partly by the unusual increase of population mobility in the United States. Because of the high fluidity of the labor market, there is a high level of mobility of workers from job to job. Workers often sell their homes and buy new ones in changing their jobs, but some workers own quite luxurious mobile homes and simply drive their homes to the new places of work. High mobility has become a pattern of life.

California has many trailer parks and the cities along the West Coast are designed for motorists with a large proportion of land given to roads. Low population density and the wide extent of city areas make this desirable.

A capsule dwelling can be seen as an expanded form of a house. For example, a car can be considered a room. People who spend much of their time out of their homes 'live' in their cars for a considerable part of their time. In recognition of this fact the car industry has made the interiors of automobiles luxurious, with stereos, reclining seats and air conditioners making a car become a compact room. The car is now no longer merely a means of transport; its interior space is beginning to take on architectural meaning. We are spending an increasing number of hours in cars and our desire to enjoy our time there stimulates the trend of cars to become extensions of dwellings.

If we assume that the capsule is a moving house of Homo mavens, it need not necessarily be a wheeled home like a mobile home. We should think, rather, in terms of what was considered a tool in the past being converted into architecture.

Changes in living conditions will also require capsulization of dwellings. J Fourastier said that an age would come when people need to work only four hours a week. Certainly, the time will soon come when we need not work as long as we do now, when the cycle of our daily life, which is based on the unit of a week, will change. The week will become shorter and the weekend develop and become more important. The week will consist of four days—Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday—and the weekend of three days—Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The cycle of our life will be split into two, and we will spend the week in a stationary dwelling, such as a downtown apartment or home, and we will ride in a mobile capsule at the weekend and go to the seashore or mountains or countryside. The capsule will then be a necessity of daily life.

An interesting diversity in the pattern of our relaxation will also stimulate the capsulization of dwellings. The custom of having a fixed second house for recreation will gradually die out and leisure activities will become more diverse. People will begin to spend the summer in different places each year. A movable leisure house will then be more convenient than a conventional villa. Perhaps the house as permanent abode should be in a fixed place but if the choice exists most people would want to have second homes in different places each year. At any rate, it is unquestionable that the pattern of leisure activities will be increasingly dynamic in future.

A mobile home or something like that will therefore fit the need. It need not necessarily be a motor home molded as one piece. It may be a panel-type home which can be assembled on the spot by putting together twenty or thirty panels, like sliding doors, by simply tightening nuts and bolts. It can be considered a capsule of a technologically different category.

In the past, when an urban area in Japan had to be mapped out, it would be plotted on the basis of night-time population. But it often happened that a city plotted this way was almost empty in the day-time. The reasons may be many. People living in the suburbs may be in the centre of the town in the day-time to work or attend school. People registered as residents and as night-time population of a given area usually move about in a larger area. So we must re-examine a city to find the difference between the night-time and day-time populations or plot one populated in day-time only. We have to see the actual condition of Homo mavens as the dynamic condition of a city. For this purpose, we may have to consider the problem of what sort of space Homo mavens inhabits.

Trains in America used to be very much like houses. They were equipped with bedrooms, parlors, restaurants and even bars, as well as desks and telephones. They were moving houses with all the conveniences of modern civilization. They may be called capsules because people lived in them and moved in them. And with jumbo jets a large number of people spend much of their time in the air and entrust their lives to a capsule.

Thus, there are two forms of capsulization. In one, a dwelling becomes a tool and is capsulized. In the other, tools or devices, such as automobiles, trains and aircraft, become dwellings and are capsulized.

A stately mansion with a large tract of land is a status symbol today but in the future the space and tools for free movement will be the status symbols.

Article 3

The capsule suggests a diversified society. We strive for a society where maximum freedom for individuals is sanctioned and where there is a wide range of options. In an age when organizations and society determined the city space, the infrastructure formed the physical environment of the city. In contrast, the capsule expresses the individuality of an individual—his challenge to an organization and his revolt against unification.

When we examine the various forecasts for the future, we find a polarization of views. At one extreme, a highly organized society is posited and at the other, a highly diversified society. Teilhard de Chardin, in Man as Phenomenon, visualized a convergence of mankind one million years from now into what is called Point Omega. In Future of Man, Medawar envisaged a heterogeneous society where all of its members are highly individualized and evolving in different directions.

I believe that our society will be and should be diversified. A society in which the individual is happy is one in which each person can display his individuality and yet social order is maintained, where greater freedom and a larger variety of options are possible. However, this cannot be achieved without examining the balance between the individual and society.

This problem pertains to technical forecasts of future societies. When we consider the process by which an urban society is designed or its environments formed, we find that it is not mechanically created by city planners or architects through the application of technology. For example, roads, energy and communications are communal systems but are nothing more than that. They support human activities but are, so to speak, 'generators' which goad man to demand a freer life. A generator cannot be the goal of life, the construction of a road cannot be the goal of society—the Shinkansen, the 'Bullet Train,' a standard-gauge high-speed railway line, is only a social service. Such things are only facilities and goads to man to endeavor to construct a more diversified society.

Future society should be constituted of mutually independent individual spaces, determined by the free will of individuals. Systems are necessary but our policy should be to develop the possibility of acquiring greater spaces for individuals on the basis of system, not one to reduce the spaces for individuals to conformity through the instrument of system. Given this proposition, each space should be a highly independent shelter where the inhabitant can fully develop his individuality. Such space is a capsule. This is the meaning of the proposition that the capsule aims at a diversified society.

The capsule is planned for perfectly free action, formed for perfectly free movement. The system, too, has its own type of movement. The movements of the capsule and the movements of the system are sometimes contradictory and sometimes coincide. The growth of the system sometimes triggers the grouping of capsules. In other words, the theory of multiple structure—that a system (and its units which are generated in the system) should have its independent laws of motion—also applies here.

Article 4

The capsule is intended to institute an entirely new family system centered on individuals. The housing unit based on a married couple will disintegrate, and the family relationships between a couple, parents and children will be expressed in terms of the state of docking of many capsules of individuals' spaces.

If we are to look for space where the creative spirit of individuals is given free play we will have to reconsider the nature of our housing. In pre-war Japan, where there was an extended family system based on patriarchy, the most important space in a house was the space where the paterfamilias received guests. The drawing room was more important than the living room of the family. The room where the family ate and slept was on the less attractive northern side of the house. Since the war it has become the norm to regard the married couple as the most important part of the household and now the center of the house is the bedroom and living room of the couple, with spaces for children built later as additional units.

However, the housing of the future will be, I think, an aggregate of spaces for individuals. The existence of a married couple presupposes the existence of individuals but not vice versa. Individuals, both male and female, have capsules of their own when they are single. When a man and a woman marry, they will furnish their respective spaces to form a necessary space for themselves as individuals—living space for the couple will not be provided first and rooms added later for individuals around it. A living room comes into being when a minimum necessary unit space which enables an individual to live as an individual encounters with another such unit space and facilities for common use are born. When I designed a housing capsule for the Theme Pavilion of Expo '70, I intended to create a house which would come into existence when such spaces for individuals are mass-produced and grouped together.

If a household forms an aggregate of individuals, the landscape of future cities will be determined, not by expressways or skyscrapers, but by a colossal aggregate of individual unit spaces. Certainly, such housing will be a far cry from the traditional 'home sweet home.' But I do not mean that the love between husband and wife or between parents and children will be neglected. Rather, the new concept is aimed at abolishing the housing unit centered on the married couple or parents and children and establishing a new idea of a household which attaches importance to the encounter of spaces for individuals.

Article 5

The true home for capsule dwellers, where they feel they belong and where they satisfy their inner, spiritual requirements, will be the metapolis. If the result of the docking of capsules is called a household, then docking capsules and communal space forms social space. The plaza as a religious space, symbol of authority or setting for commercial transactions disintegrates, and the public space with which individuals identify themselves will make the metapolis the new quasi-domestic haven. A self-sufficient community where the daily round is completed within a closed circle will perish. A haven will become a spiritual domain transcending concrete everyday space.

For, if people acquire such capsule spaces and begin to move more freely, will they still not need a spiritual haven? Otherwise one might suppose that frustration might drive them insane. Will not the concept of an 'ancestral home' totally die out in such an age?

The idea of the family home is still a strong one to many Japanese in urban areas. The overwhelming majority of today's urban population are second-generation city people but their parents or grandparents came to the cities from surrounding agricultural areas. This is common to all cities, not Tokyo alone. The concept is strong even though not all such city-dwellers have a family home where their parents or grandparents live. The average Japanese city-dweller's notion of a family home is very abstract. He would put it in this way: 'I'm told that my ancestors came from Kyushu, but I have neither an ancestral tomb nor a home in Kyushu.'

The notion of family home will become increasingly abstract hereafter. Man will become correspondingly less capable of great mobility without some spiritual support or spiritual haven to take the place of his concept of a family home—notwithstanding the greater convenience or physical comfort. The more mobile man becomes, the greater his longings for a haven.

When we search for it, we first think of nature. Nature is a more abstracted form of family home than such individual birthplaces as Kyushu or Hokkaido, and the feeling for nature is closely akin to that for a family home. The feeling which a city-dweller entertains about nature is an abstract form of his feelings about his family home.

I feel, however, that men's spiritual haven in a future community will take a slightly different form. I think that men living in a city are going to build a new one. The feeling which people show when flocking to a plaza or square or taking part in a demonstration or holding a festival seems to reveal what such a spiritual haven might be.

The response which men feel in such a place differs from the family-home-consciousness evoked by nature in that it is created by the sharing of a certain common social space. It is manifest where many people live together instead of separately in isolated places. It is a repose which one finds in the midst of a large city. While the home consciousness is identified with some specific region or community, the spiritual repose which one finds in a large city is related to human solidarity, the equipment of the city or a symbolic space in the city.

Then what type of urban space can furnish such repose?

A public space, terminal, department store, hotel or university campus can serve. All these places are where a large number of people flock together and where, in a sense, the architecturalization of the street is found. A facility in which a city-dweller can find repose should be one which permits multiple choices. Take a hotel for example. There one can put up for the night, meet other people, hold a conference, give a wedding ceremony, or swim in a pool. The development of such a multi-purpose space is progressing in hotels, and it can be said that hotels are becoming the center of a capsule space and a new spiritual haven.

How about universities? At present, campuses are spaces within a city but separated from the whole. However, universities will increasingly take on the character of cities in the future. Universities will cease to be spaces where only the elite study but will be socially open. Campuses will no longer be places for research and education alone but will become forums for the public, housing for the students and parks at the same time. They will increasingly become multi-purpose spaces.

A Japanese department store functions as an adult education area and as a place where a large variety of activities are possible. The width of choice will become a very important factor of an information center or a space for common use. Our department stores provide a variety of data on such things as current trends in school education, cooking, new fashions and new household appliances. If an art exhibition is being held there, you come into contact with the latest trends in fine arts. Like the agora of a Greek city, a department store today is a multi-purpose information center and a place of public entertainment.

A terminal is the junction of different means of public transport, and a large number of people meet or at least encounter each other there. Because such shopping and leisure facilities as department stores are usually built at terminals, there are ample opportunities for a terminal to grow into a space for common use for capsules.

In large cities of the future, a large number of new-style plazas and squares, a large number of new-style homes, will come into being where individual capsules will be docked to each other and create a social space. Such space may be called a haven within a city, as opposed to a haven outside the city, remote from the city.

The conventional community centers of public hall, park and marketplace will then lose their place as the center of city life. Independently of such spaces for daily life, a starting point of spiritual life—an information center—will come into existence, and a new type of community where individuals flock together will emerge. Such a community may be called a 'temporal community' as opposed to the conventional regional community.

Article 6

The capsule is a feedback mechanism in an information-oriented, a 'technetronic'² society. It is a device which permits us to reject undesired information. Our society is emerging from the industrial age and entering a technetronic age. The industrial pattern based on the manufacturing industries is changing into one based on information industries, such as the knowledge industry, education industry, research industry, publishing industry, advertising industry and leisure industry. To protect us from the flood of information and the one-way traffic in information, we should have a feedback mechanism and a mechanism which rejects unnecessary information. The capsule serves as such a space.

A technetronic society will not automatically form if the present information-processing system develops further on existing lines. Proof of this is to be found in current information media. Whether through television or radio or newspapers, a large amount of information flows to us from a central station. We can make a choice by turning the channel knob on the TV receiver, and this is probably the only choice we have, but we cannot totally reject the deluge of information. In the present age, we cannot totally reject such information, and still less is it possible to issue instructions to the key station to send only such information as we want to have, because we have no feedback mechanism.

Just as an astronaut is protected by a perfect shelter from solar winds and cosmic rays, individuals should be protected by capsules in which they can reject information they do not need and in which they are sheltered from information they do not want, thereby allowing an individual to recover his subjectivity and independence.³

Footnotes

1. 'Cyborg': a cybernated organism, hence an organism which is partly automated, based on feedback and information processes; usually appears in science fiction as half man, half machine.

2. This term is taken from Zbigniew Brzezinski's Between Two Ages: America's Role in the Technetronic Era, Viking Press, New York 1970. It is a contraction of 'technological' and 'electronic.'

3. The capsule is defined as a space which guarantees complete privacy for the individual. It assures the physical and spiritual independence of the individual.

‍

Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity.

The lifestance of Humanism—guided by reason, inspired by compassion, and informed by experience—encourages us to live life well and fully. It evolved through the ages and continues to develop through the efforts of thoughtful people who recognize that values and ideals, however carefully wrought, are subject to change as our knowledge and understandings advance.

This document is part of an ongoing effort to manifest in clear and positive terms the conceptual boundaries of Humanism, not what we must believe but a consensus of what we do believe. It is in this sense that we affirm the following:

Knowledge of the world is derived by observation, experimentation, and rational analysis. Humanists find that science is the best method for determining this knowledge as well as for solving problems and developing beneficial technologies. We also recognize the value of new departures in thought, the arts, and inner experience—each subject to analysis by critical intelligence.

Humans are an integral part of nature, the result of unguided evolutionary change. Humanists recognize nature as self-existing. We accept our life as all and enough, distinguishing things as they are from things as we might wish or imagine them to be. We welcome the challenges of the future, and are drawn to and undaunted by the yet to be known.

Ethical values are derived from human need and interest as tested by experience. Humanists ground values in human welfare shaped by human circumstances, interests, and concerns and extended to the global ecosystem and beyond. We are committed to treating each person as having inherent worth and dignity, and to making informed choices in a context of freedom consonant with responsibility.

Life’s fulfillment emerges from individual participation in the service of humane ideals. We aim for our fullest possible development and animate our lives with a deep sense of purpose, finding wonder and awe in the joys and beauties of human existence, its challenges and tragedies, and even in the inevitability and finality of death. Humanists rely on the rich heritage of human culture and the lifestance of Humanism to provide comfort in times of want and encouragement in times of plenty.

Humans are social by nature and find meaning in relationships. Humanists long for and strive toward a world of mutual care and concern, free of cruelty and its consequences, where differences are resolved cooperatively without resorting to violence. The joining of individuality with interdependence enriches our lives, encourages us to enrich the lives of others, and inspires hope of attaining peace, justice, and opportunity for all.

Working to benefit society maximizes individual happiness. Progressive cultures have worked to free humanity from the brutalities of mere survival and to reduce suffering, improve society, and develop global community. We seek to minimize the inequities of circumstance and ability, and we support a just distribution of nature’s resources and the fruits of human effort so that as many as possible can enjoy a good life.

Humanists are concerned for the well being of all, are committed to diversity, and respect those of differing yet humane views. We work to uphold the equal enjoyment of human rights and civil liberties in an open, secular society and maintain it is a civic duty to participate in the democratic process and a planetary duty to protect nature’s integrity, diversity, and beauty in a secure, sustainable manner.

Thus engaged in the flow of life, we aspire to this vision with the informed conviction that humanity has the ability to progress toward its highest ideals. The responsibility for our lives and the kind of world in which we live is ours and ours alone.

Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you. What we demand of others and of society should correspond to, and stay within, the bounds of what we demand of ourselves.Take a lot of interest in history and past experience, but also seek out new knowledge. Be imaginative. Think about things that have not happened yet.Use your own way of being, in an existentialist manner, to set the standard, and determine moral codes and rules of behavior.Harmonize your external appearance with your innermost thoughts. What we present to the outside world should be congruent with the quality of our inner world. We see a lot of discordance between what a person appears to be and what a person really is nowadays, but the harmony between the two is actually how an individual becomes an individual.Do things in life by non-interference and lead a life through natural rhythms. The human mind and nature are sometimes contradictory forces, but let nature take its course. By “nature,” Chinese people refer to the laws of the universe.Find out what “I” means and find your own identity. Who I am should be consistent with what I do, how I behave, and how I act. Persist, no matter what people say.Do the right thing without hesitation. Don’t let society’s constraints and expectations prevent you from pursuing the truth. Life is important. But life without meaning is not worth living.Do not become attached to worldly possessions and do not pity yourself on the grounds of unfavorable conditional material circumstances. Happiness, without outside influence, should be complete in its own right.Be modest, open-minded, and receptive like an echoing canyon. The more you know, the more you realize how much you don’t know. Facing the vast mystery of the universe, our individual experiences are insignificant and not worth mentioning.Be true in word and resolute in deed. Keep your word; what is said should be done. With everything we do, we should persist until it is completed.

“We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. [...] Individuals and interactions over processes and tools. Working software over comprehensive documentation.”

                            ==Phrack Inc.==

                    Volume One, Issue 7, Phile 3 of 10

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The following was written shortly after my arrest...

                       \/\The Conscience of a Hacker/\/

                                      by

                               +++The Mentor+++

                          Written on January 8, 1986
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

        Another one got caught today, it's all over the papers.  "Teenager
Arrested in Computer Crime Scandal", "Hacker Arrested after Bank Tampering"...
        Damn kids.  They're all alike.

        But did you, in your three-piece psychology and 1950's technobrain,
ever take a look behind the eyes of the hacker?  Did you ever wonder what
made him tick, what forces shaped him, what may have molded him?
        I am a hacker, enter my world...
        Mine is a world that begins with school... I'm smarter than most of
the other kids, this crap they teach us bores me...
        Damn underachiever.  They're all alike.

        I'm in junior high or high school.  I've listened to teachers explain
for the fifteenth time how to reduce a fraction.  I understand it.  "No, Ms.
Smith, I didn't show my work.  I did it in my head..."
        Damn kid.  Probably copied it.  They're all alike.

        I made a discovery today.  I found a computer.  Wait a second, this is
cool.  It does what I want it to.  If it makes a mistake, it's because I
screwed it up.  Not because it doesn't like me...
                Or feels threatened by me...
                Or thinks I'm a smart ass...
                Or doesn't like teaching and shouldn't be here...
        Damn kid.  All he does is play games.  They're all alike.

        And then it happened... a door opened to a world... rushing through
the phone line like heroin through an addict's veins, an electronic pulse is
sent out, a refuge from the day-to-day incompetencies is sought... a board is
found.
        "This is it... this is where I belong..."
        I know everyone here... even if I've never met them, never talked to
them, may never hear from them again... I know you all...
        Damn kid.  Tying up the phone line again.  They're all alike...

        You bet your ass we're all alike... we've been spoon-fed baby food at
school when we hungered for steak... the bits of meat that you did let slip
through were pre-chewed and tasteless.  We've been dominated by sadists, or
ignored by the apathetic.  The few that had something to teach found us will-
ing pupils, but those few are like drops of water in the desert.

        This is our world now... the world of the electron and the switch, the
beauty of the baud.  We make use of a service already existing without paying
for what could be dirt-cheap if it wasn't run by profiteering gluttons, and
you call us criminals.  We explore... and you call us criminals.  We seek
after knowledge... and you call us criminals.  We exist without skin color,
without nationality, without religious bias... and you call us criminals.
You build atomic bombs, you wage wars, you murder, cheat, and lie to us
and try to make us believe it's for our own good, yet we're the criminals.

        Yes, I am a criminal.  My crime is that of curiosity.  My crime is
that of judging people by what they say and think, not what they look like.
My crime is that of outsmarting you, something that you will never forgive me
for.

        I am a hacker, and this is my manifesto.  You may stop this individual,
but you can't stop us all... after all, we're all alike.

                               +++The Mentor+++

“We are people of this generation, bred in at least modest comfort, housed now in universities, looking uncomfortably to the world we inherit. [...] We seek the establishment of a democracy of individual participation.”

“Surrealism rests in the belief in the superior reality of certain forms of previously neglected associations, in the omnipotence of dream, in the disinterested play of thought. [...] Pure psychic automatism, by which one proposes to express [...] the actual functioning of thought.”

“We intend to sing the love of danger, the habit of energy and fearlessness. [...] We affirm that the world’s magnificence has been enriched by a new beauty: the beauty of speed. [...]”

“Another world is possible. [...] We stand for the cancellation of the external debt of Southern countries [...] and the dismantling of tax havens.”

“The next century can be and should be the humanistic century. [...] Using technology wisely, we can control our environment, conquer poverty, [...] and provide the means for all people to enjoy life.”

“The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race. [...] We therefore advocate a revolution against the industrial system.”

“Markets are conversations. [...] Companies that don’t realize their markets are now networked person-to-person [...] are missing their best opportunity.”

“I swear to submit to the following set of rules [...] Shooting must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in. [...] The film must not contain superficial action.”

“Woman is born free and lives equal to man in her rights. [...] The law must be the expression of the general will; all female and male citizens must contribute [...] to its formation.”

“BECAUSE us girls crave records and books and fanzines that speak to US [...] BECAUSE we are angry at a society that tells us Girl = Dumb, Girl = Bad, Girl = Weak.”

“The time has come for widespread recognition of the radical changes in religious beliefs [...] Religion must formulate its hopes and plans in the light of the scientific spirit and method.”

“The ultimate aim of all visual arts is the complete building! [...] Architects, sculptors, painters [...] must return to the crafts! [...] Let us create a new guild of craftsmen, without the class distinctions that raise an arrogant barrier between craftsman and artist.”

MANIFEST I OF “THE STYLE”, 1918. 1. There is an old and a new consciousness of time.The old is connected with the individual.The new is connected with the universal.The struggle of the individual against the universal is revealing itself in the world-war as well as in the art of the present day. 2. The war is destroying the old world with its contents: individual domination in every state. 3. The new art has brought forward what the new consciousness of time contains:a balance between the universal and the individual. 4. The new consciousness is prepared to realise the internal life as well as the external life. 5. Traditions, dogmas and the domination of the individual are opposed to this realisation. 6. The founders of the new plastic art therefore call upon all, who believe in the reformation of art and culture, to annihilate these obstacles of development, as they have annihilated in the new plastic art (by abolishing natural form) that, which prevents the clear expression of art, the utmost consequence of all art notion. 7. The artists of to-day have been driven the whole world over by the same consciousness, and therefore have taken part from an intellectual point of view in this war against the domination of individual despotism. They therefore sympathize with all, who work for the formation of an international unity in Life, Art, Culture, either intellectually or materially. 8. The monthly editions of “The Style”, founded for that purpose, try to attain the new wisdom of life in an exact manner. 9. Co-operation is possible by:I. Sending, with entire approval, name, address and profession to the editor of “The Style”.II. Sending critical, philosophical, architectural, scientific, literary, musical articles or reproductions.III. Translating articles in different languages or distributing thoughts published in, “The Style”.

1. When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, “Repent” (Matthew 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. [...] 86. Again, “Why does not the pope, whose wealth today is greater than the wealth of the richest Crassus, build this one basilica of St. Peter with his own money rather than with the money of poor believers?”

“A spectre is haunting Europe — the spectre of communism. [...] The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles. [...] Workers of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains!”

“Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. [...] The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural [...] rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.”