D24 - How to Rule the World
Can every person be included in the governance of the planet?
22 min read
#democracy24
Preface
For the last 500 years or so, human populations have been divided into nation-states, reinforced by institutions, which succeeded the previous system of kingdoms of sovereign rule. Global governance is currently achieved by states collaborating across borders, either directly through nation-to-nation contact, in groups, or through international organizations, where the United Nations (UN) provides the backbone for international collaboration and governance.
Democracy is often referred to as ‘rule by the people’; but is this really how the world is governed today?
As of 2023, the UN consist of 193 individual member states. They range from Nauru and Tuvalu with 11-12,000 inhabitants each, all the way up to China and India with 1.4 billion inhabitants each. About 0.5 % of the world population lives in non-UN membership territories (for example Taiwan, Palestine (observer to UN), Somaliland, Kosovo). And quite a few live as refugees, stateless persons, undocumented immigrants or unregistered migrants.
In order to encourage the independent thinking of the reader, this text is published under a pen-name. For most people news and information inputs are filtered through the question of: “who said that?” By linking new inputs to people or opinions familiar to us, we can better categorize them in our mental compartments. However, this automatic way of sorting information can sometimes complicate our ability to reach unbiased judgments and conclusions. Our hope as writers, is to encourage readers to think for themselves and reach their own conclusions.
As you read this, we invite you to ask yourself questions. Is this something I align with? Or do I have an alternative perspective? In fact, we hope you don’t mindlessly agree with the proposals you find here, and would prefer that you engage mentally, and offer your own thoughts of how the world should be governed.
What do you think?
Summary
What is this text Really About?
Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for…..
Imagine all the people
Livin’ life in peace……
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one….
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world….
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world….
Imagine, by John Winston Ono Lennon, 1971
50 years later we are still dreaming. Lennon set out a vision, but we’re still having wars, and in no respect are we
“sharing all the world”, nor do we “live as one”.
This document is a draft of a plan to achieve global peace and personal responsibility through collaboration that engages the millions of communities across the world.
In the current system, demands for coordination at the international level through the United Nations are rising, while the organization itself is not progressing fast enough to meet the moment. The permanent members of the Security Council create a dysfunctional forum, stuck in a gridlock of competing interests, while less powerful nations are barred from meaningful participation. Closed-door negotiations, lack of transparency, high expenses, and the overwhelming influence of the wealthiest countries does not constitute a system worthy of the 21st century. Democracy means rule by the people.
The Democracy means rule by people.
On a global level we are far away from the basic dream of democracy
Since the end of WW II, there has been a crystallization of the ideological battle between democracies and autocracies. Democracies won the first round with the fall of the Iron Curtain, and autocracies the second round with the sharp rise of China’s financial and economic might. Autocrats rule without popular consent, using deceit and the false idol of national pride, along with intimidation and threats of violence. Almost as a matter of definition all autocracies exhibit the central flaw of being incapable of self-correcting, rejuvenating and placing principles above personal interests.
By their very nature, autocracies breed popular apathy as Putin’s Russia has been doing for years. When Pregozhin´s Wagner group turned on Moscow in 2023 the population reacted as they have been trained, with apathy. Likewise democracies are increasingly under pressure from the self-indulgence of privileged individuals, which is manifested in political and social polarizations, lobbying, revolving doors, secrecy, political loyalty, corporatism, greed, and also results in….apathy.
Given all these shortcomings, do “democratic leaders” have the right to wage wars or act as moral policemen on the world stage? The general public around the globe, in both autocracies and democracies, are most often excluded from participating meaningfully in decisions that affect their families, communities, and future generations. With good reason ordinary people are losing trust in the very institutions set up to protect them and preserve the common good.
Despite general progress, humanity has proved incapable of solving the series of interconnecting challenges found in the early 21st Century. Failing to mobilize the engagement and participation of all people, most contemporary systems of government are deprived of the wisdom of collective intelligence at the level of individual nations, as well as internationally.
There never was a world where all people had a say. Unequal access to power has followed us since time immemorial. Does it have to continue this way, or can we learn that societies with participation and trust are generally better governed?
The speed and pace of change in the 21st Century is dizzying. While human societies are fluid and accustomed to change from generation to generation, individuals can find themselves challenged by new technologies and rapid change. Cognitive biases shape the thinking of all people, from young innovators to seniors with rich and varied life experiences, including all manner of experts, scientists, and yes, leaders. Even computer programs hold biases when designed to think on our behalf. Ingrained habits of thinking can make people blind to the possibility of change, particularly if they are cushioned by privileges, unchallenged in their social position, and by default respected, which often is the situation for….yes, leaders.
All human beings are different and also equal in their right and capacity to make decisions about the laws, rules and policies that govern them. This moment in history requires new systems of participatory governance that can benefit from the collective intelligence of global citizens in building a future where all can live with dignity and self-determination.
Solving the problems facing humanity in the 21st Century will require a renewal of democracy from the local to the global levels. Improvements in social systems are often a result of dynamic failures that produce new knowledge, improvements, and necessary adaptations or replacements. The answer to the crisis of democracy is more democracy, and the challenge of this historical moment is discovering methods of correction and improvement to constantly strive towards the true goal of really having rule by the people. Globally.
Introduction
“Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is democracy of the dead.”
GK Chesterton.
When it comes to governance, the current sentiment is that representative democracy is the universal best recipe for governing
⦁ What if the form of democracy we have today has parallels with the competence of the doctors 200 years ago?
⦁ What if our collective admiration for democracy is similar to American medical practices of 1799? Both representative democracy and exsanguination were popular at the time. And while medical science has made incredible progress, has the social science of governance made the same advances?
What is often ignored is the need for external checks-and balances to determine how new technologies will be introduced and used by human communities. Democratic institutions, law and social sciences have nowhere kept up with the development of new technology. Built by competent engineers, new technologies are often not controlled by an equally balanced and interconnected system of anthropologists, lawyers and a participating public.
Could the general public start occupying the turf of protocols, algorithms and machine learning? Ordinary people would need to engage more in system design, abstract thinking, and get better at understanding how the underlying operating systems of society are interlinked, abused, and glued to technology, people in power and governments.
If everyday people continue spending our mental energy worrying about celebrity gossip and manufactured issues, we will remain like chickens in a feedlot, without understanding or influencing our destiny as a society.
⦁ What if we are using candles to see instead of letting the sun in?
⦁ Are the current leaders of the world actually trying to treat the symptoms of our turbulent and interdependent modern human society?
⦁ Are they not successful because they simply don’t know any better?
Any population of voters should consider political leaders as humble servants, instead of admired leaders.
What if the entire world was ready for a different level of organization and mutual engagement in a system that acknowledges the shortcomings of each single individual, while harvesting the power of all of us within a system that is participatory, inclusive and that actually makes better decisions?
⦁ Would it be possible to recognize that the people in power are just that……people? And at the same time appreciate that society includes millions of other competent people?
⦁ Is it possible to harness the competence, skills and knowledge of the multitudes of the world into a unified system of governance?
In the earlier part of history, human societies were organized into small groups or tribes. Kingdoms, Empires, Religion, Totalitarianism and also Democracies. All are examples of social structures invented to organize people in larger numbers, across great distances, and in complex societies.
Over the last few decades, we have catapulted loosely connected national populations into a singular, connected, global world. What new social designs are needed to organize us all in a system of common decision-making? Have we already reached the peak of social development through the UN and nation-states as governing instruments? Or are there new levels of collective organization yet to be explored?
In the beginning of our lives— at birth—we arrive as blank slates, devoid of opinions, politics, culture, language, and religion. In essence, we are all born free from the divisive group mentalities that currently separate various population groups. Instead of defining ourselves by learned differences, could we, perhaps, seek common ground in order to foster unity? Might empathy, social interaction, shared principles, responsibility and tolerance serve as gentle tools to bridge the gaps between nations? Is it overly idealistic to anticipate that humanity can elevate itself to a higher plane of collaboration?
Reflecting on historical turning points such as the French Revolution, the US Declaration of Independence, or the formation of the Indian Republic, one may wonder if these groundbreaking ideas were once considered naive. Often, we interpret novel and alternative solutions through the lens of our past, biased by what we know, rather than envisioning an alternative future. Before these pivotal events, few could have foreseen the profound changes they would bring about.
If allowed, and encouraged, all people can make efforts to expand the space for democracy in their own lives by:
⦁ Ensuring that the communities in which they live and the groups in which they work and socialize become more transparent and accountable to their members
⦁ Fighting for practical reforms to make the institutions that govern them more inclusive and democratic.
⦁ Challenging inequality of power and influence,
⦁ Including the voices of the many in drafting policies and laws
⦁ Nurturing experiments in democracy to allow us all to reach for a balanced and peaceful future for the next generations of humanity, and
⦁ Lifting politics from the small and elite rooms of society into the broader public space.
Manifesto
To build a world where every Voice is of equal value.
At our core we are emotional creatures who find comfort and harmony when our values align with others, which in turn makes us more open to receiving input. We tend to listen more attentively to those dear to us and in agreement with our beliefs, rather than strangers. Given the vast amount of information available, we rely on this method to aggregate and select knowledge based on trust.
Our daily lives revolve around narratives intertwined with emotions, shaped by language and governed by laws. Moreover, we engage in conversations about our neighbors, oversee our children’s behavior, and socialize with friends by sharing common experiences or interests. These interactions reinforce the bonds of a united society, what is accepted, and what not.
At its heart, democracy is a conversation between people, where there is an exchange of opinions. It has a speaking part, a listening part, and a part where people try and find common ground. If you cannot align on a common denominator like culture, the meaning of words, laws or religion; there is a possibility of separation. We can tear down emotional walls by listening, and try to understand others, or we can resort to group thinking, building walls around ourselves. In a larger context, for the world as a whole, collaboration works best when founded on common interests, principles or goals. Additionally; tolerance, empathy, understanding and a humble attitude strengthens the resilience to collaborate across differences. Without it; financial, cultural and physical differences can increase the risk for conflict.
This paper is an endeavor to look for methods and systems that can serve as a foundation for a global conversation. A conversation where everyone can contribute their voice, but also listen, learn and understand with the hope of reducing the volume of the voices of the few and powerful, while amplifying the opinions of the many.
Artificial Intelligence is the first technology in history to learn from others, innovate, create new ideas, make decisions, evolve and even feel. Built upon a skeleton of extreme connectivity (internet) and enormous amounts of data (cloud services) AI threatens to develop at an accelerating speed, eventually outpacing humans as the smartest species.
AI, polarization, and social media all pose a potential threat to our social glue yet the right application of powerful technologies may also offer support for deeper participation. The tools themselves are just that, tools. The questions are:
⦁ How are the they applied?
⦁ Who decides the application?
⦁ Who controls the technology?
⦁ What motivates the tech decision makers, and who influences them?
In the analogue world; rule by the people is challenged by autocrats and oligarchs, lobbyism and revolving doors, unrestricted majority rule, inequality and more. Control of technology is left to algorithms that condition the communication between people, with the power to modify our beliefs, emotions and perception of information.
How can the world be improved?
⦁ Is the world led by the best individuals we have?
⦁ Is it governed by the best laws we can make?
⦁ Do we trust the global institutions as they are?
This is an attempt to come up with some suggestions for improvements, and inspire others to do the same.
The history of human development is not a straight line. We measure Gross Domestic Product, Child Mortality, or various forms of human development Indexes (health, education, standard of living). Yet, most of the tangible figures are outcomes. GDP comes from investments, productions, raw materials, labor and more. Child mortality is a result of healthcare, education and nutrition. Education is the result from science, school systems, access to knowledge, compassion, and policies.
Behind all these figures are millions of personal destinies, shaped within a system that shapes how we interact. Social connectivity through trust, production efficiency through knowledge, physical mobility through infrastructure;, social mobility through education. tolerance and access to capital.
The countries topping the list of the various indicators we call progress, tend to have a high degree of embedded infrastructure, both financial, physical (roads & factories) and social (education, healthcare, trust) that allow talent to prosper. They are often politically egalitarian (democratic), homogenous, not too big (some are), have mature borders, peaceful neighbors, and most of them are already rich.
If we try and view the governance of a country from the perspective of its inhabitants what baseline social conditions can we expect will be important to citizens? Judging by migration patterns, we may presume: safety, job-opportunities, education, housing, transportation, good healthcare, and transparent (non-corrupted) service-minded governance.
The big why?
Our mission statement is to break down the mental barriers dividing nations and foster harmony among people worldwide. No country, or national leaders, truly reflect the multitude of voices, diversity or talent within their borders. We firmly believe that human talent is spread around the globe and exists within every socio-economic group, transcending geographical limitations.
How to empower, nourish, and release that talent?
We wish to create a world:
We Really Wish
⦁ Where peace replaces war
⦁ Where dialogue replaces conflict
⦁ Where trust replaces hostility
⦁ Where rules replace power
⦁ Where commonalities replace difference
⦁ Where tolerance replaces polarization
⦁ Where education replaces ignorance
⦁ Where talent replaces privileges
⦁ Where opportunities replace vested interests
⦁ Where participation replaces exclusion
⦁ Where leaders replace leaders
⦁ Where power, in any form, is challenged, replaced and revitalized.
Imagine a World
We have set out on a journey to envision a next level of democratic participation. Democracy as we know it was created in a world with limited connectivity, and through representatives. Now we can all interact; it is time we update our vision of how the world is best ruled.
Imagine a world:
⦁ Ruled by participation
⦁ Where every person is given the same opportunities at birth
⦁ Where talent can grow, no matter where they are born
⦁ Where cooperation across borders is based on common interests
⦁ Where differences are not resolved by “winning” an argument, but rather through working for broad consensus
Leveled by Equality
⦁ Where every human is of equal value
⦁ Where all are equal before the law
⦁ Where nationality, color, sexuality or any other individual characteristics don’t determine participation or opportunities
⦁ Where individuals are responsible for their own actions, not for the parents, culture, tribe or nation they were born into
⦁ Where minorities in any form are respected
⦁ Where forums consist of many sub-groups to counteract the polarization of centralized politics
Voting throughout the year
⦁ Where citizens councils of ordinary people are included in deliberations, also at the highest levels of global governance
⦁ Where issues are granulated to a level where polarization disappears and commonalities arise
⦁ Where all can participate in how we live together
⦁ Where every refugee, stateless or national population has an identical vote
⦁ Where the political connectivity and discussion is rooted in all the people of the world, without the restrictive influence of heads of state
⦁ Where we have a broad consensus on which matters should be solved at a global level
⦁ Where local issues are solved locally and regional issues regionally
Lit by Transparency
⦁ Where all border issues, including the creation of new nations or merger of existing nations, are solved through inclusive deliberations, local participation and transparency, and never through the use of force.
⦁ Where we consider ourselves primarily as world citizens with different national, cultural and/or religious upbringings
⦁ Where everyone is free to move across borders and live where they prefer
With Mindsets for growth
⦁ Where history is for learning, not a blueprint for future development
⦁ Where tolerance and inclusion form the basis for constructive deliberation
⦁ Where we sometimes can live with ambiguity, and differences are not regarded as black and white, but in shades of all colors
⦁ Where differences are not between national states, cultures nor religion, but between different political groups with members in many countries
⦁ Where the respect for human rights and lives is so strong that all armed conflicts are avoided .
Supported by Technology
⦁ Where science, facts and transparency are the founding principles that can’t be abused or imposed by the majority
⦁ Where alternative opinions are listened to, even though they are not mainstream, and have limited scientific support
⦁ Where science, opinions or beliefs are not restricted or censored either legally or culturally
⦁ Where listening to others’ opinions is considered a virtue
Authority is restrained
⦁ Where leadership is restricted, alternated, and spread on the many
⦁ Where leaders serve the people and not vice versa
⦁ Where the role of the nation states is subordinated to the influence of its inhabitants
⦁ Where methods for solutions accept the use of time to get most people onboard
⦁ Where military conflicts are of the past
⦁ Where the national state is used to solve national issues, within a framework of global rules.
Collaboration:
Over millions of years, way before the start of humans; plants, fungus, trees and bacteria have developed a symbiosis of co-existence. Roots connect to mycelium, flowers offer nectar for insects and are blessed with pollination; tall trees protect them all, nourishing and shielding the soil and facilitating interplant communication and collaboration.
The success of life on this planet has not led to the extreme dominance of a single monoculture species, but rather an enormous biodiversity of genes, fungus, sap and heartbeats.
With about 60,000 years of existence, homo sapiens are the new kids on the block. Compared to millions of years of life, we are in our infancy of development. Similar to other life forms, homo sapiens favor their own kind even down to family, tribal or national belonging.
Nevertheless, unlike other species, we gathered extra powers, not found in other organisms. Knowledge, communication and tools allowed us to domesticate plants and animals; subjecting them to our influence and losing our subordination to the natural checks and balances otherwise present in nature. The force of the industrial revolution, biotechnology, and extreme specialization and expertise, has partly been applied towards the exploitation and dominance of both nature and other people.
Could our superpowers be applied with the ethics of super-heroes instead? How do we build systems that reward altruism, responsibility and wisdom in rulers? Over the last centuries we have replaced nature’s checks and balances with juridical and democratic systems. Why do some individuals abuse strength when they rise to power, whereas others use increased influence in an altruistic way? Some of the worst atrocities in history have been committed by people after they gained unrestrained power coupled with technology and systems of influence, like Hitler, Stalin, King Leopold or Mao.
- Is there a next level of power sharing where competition and collaboration between individuals, companies and countries can be balanced and fair, while delivering outcomes that benefit the many?
- In contrast to a race for accumulation of materials, land and influence that neglects the consequences and external costs on other people, climate and pollution?
Today we are developing new superpowers like never before. We are at a threshold where we are able to replace all human capacities with something more powerful. Both physically, intellectually, and even emotionally.
In 1605, Francis Bacon said: Knowledge itself is power. . Why should power and influence continue to accrue to even fewer individuals, even as there are tools that could connect and coordinate the whole world? Could there be an alternative path towards an adaptive and collaborative mindset that would benefit everyone?
We are suggesting a system of collaboration that extends from the smallest village up to the top of the world. Where randomly selected people are included in citizens councils, broad engagement is encouraged, where power is shared and all affected groups are included in decision-making. Single people should not be able to veto decisions through political horse-trading, rather talks should be transparent, inclusive and methodical.
D24 – A framework of governance
All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell / Animal Farm
D24 is not an organization, not a group, not a company, but a conceptual combination of the universal principle that all humans are of equal value and should have similar opportunities, responsibilities, and avenues to participation. It does not mean one size fits all, rather advocates for a fairer playing field of social, financial and cultural intersection.
Let us first disappoint the reader. There is nothing new, nor revolutionary in this text. On the contrary, it is a compendium of thoughts from other people that suggest the possibility of new paths forward for humanity.
⦁ Our vision is to open your mind. Progress is about change and learning while maintaining and strengthening what works well.
⦁ The populations of the world have thus far been segregated into groups and nationalities. We are pursuing a goal of bringing us all together in the participatory governance of the world.
⦁ There is no quick fix, single solutions or simple task. We are charged with untangling and reweaving a web of interacting principles, systems and mindsets
We hope to tear down the walls of power surrounding rulers, ensuring that you, me, and everybody else has the same weight on the scale of global influence. Any system will need improvements, so we need the brainpower of all of us to contribute, again, and again and again.
"Deliberation, even in its very essence, is an art."
A decentralized structure of inclusive debates, including the general population, may be able to work on many smaller issues simultaneously. There are about 8 billion of us, it does not seem right to leave the ruling of the world in the hands of a few.
Progress is about change, mistakes, corrections and new attempts. There will never be a final answer on how humanity can best interact, participate and rule together. But we need to keep trying. This is our 2 cents
En Eldec, September 15, 2023
About D24
- D24 is a concept of how the world could be ruled by inclusion of all the people
⦁ In the year 2024, there are about 24 countries globally ranked as liberal democracies
⦁ Democracy is a 24 hour job.
⦁ 2024 is a mega year of elections including countries like: India, EU (European Parliament), USA, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Bangladesh, Russia, Mexico, Egypt, Germany, South Africa, Georgia, and more.
⦁ The International Day of Democracy is Sept 15. Month number 9 + day 15=24
⦁ The complete text of D24 is intended for publishing in the year 2024
⦁ D24 is written under the pen name En Eldec. It is not important who made the Manifesto, what is important is what you think!
If you think the world can be ruled in a better way, please speak out #democracy24
You
⦁ Are you passionate about participatory governance?
⦁ Do you like to work with texts, and think you can contribute to our work?
⦁ This could be editing, proof-reading, ghost writing, suggesting input or references, co-ordinate input from others, or help reach out on social media.
⦁ Unfortunately, we cannot pay, all work is voluntarily.
⦁ We do not need any sponsors, but work independently.