Core Values
Society
Economics
Labor
Research
Personal sphere
Technology
Join us!
Manifesto

Although the universe is incomprehensibly vast, we know only one planet where life has managed to flourish: the Earth.

Nonetheless, many think that it is not suitable anymore: too many people, too many problems. Colonize Mars if you want to make your existence truly meaningful!

What we lack is perhaps introspection, a better understanding of ourselves. We are fortunate to exist on one of the best planets in the known universe. Having a life that is often difficult, full of injustices and problems that tend to crush us is not due to where we are, but rather to what kind of society surrounds us. Society that we ourselves have created. Problems that arise from ourselves.

Just as we cannot be comfortable with others until we solve the problems we carry within, we will not be able to fully enjoy all the beauty that surrounds us until we have improved the society we live in.

We can do it.

Babel Society wants to propose a new type of society and a concrete plan to achieve it.

We are aware that changing an entire society from one day to the other is impossible, the project aims instead to create a small starting community where we test and prove our ideas.

Babel Society doesn't seek a revolution, but rather to direct us towards a better evolution.

🔗Core Values

Each aspect of Babel Society stems from the following core values:

This Manifesto is in no way set in stone, it is subject to revision in each and every part, however we believe these core values will transcend time and stay always relevant as long as humans will be around.

🔗Freedom

Freedom is a fundamental concept to be able to fully enjoy our life. There can be no true freedom in a society where there are conflicting groups and divisions, much less if there are strict hierarchies. Any hierarchy of power assumes that there are people who are superior to others, which undermines the freedom of those considered inferior.
For this reason Babel wants to abolish all forms of hierarchy of power within its society.

True freedom means that any person in society is free to associate with whomever they wish, including people outside the society itself. It also means we'll be free to use our time as we see fit and have a job that we are happy to do.

🔗Collaboration

We believe that collaboration is the most important principle to live in groups, the foundation of every successful endeavor. Collaboration means knowing how to play together, joining forces in order to achieve a goal that alone we could never achieve.
It means recognizing the value of others, accepting and respecting them; to stake one's own interests so that others can benefit from them.
Collaboration means that everyone can express their own opinions without fear of repercussions, enhancing dialog until more efficient solutions are found.

Collaboration does not apply only between humans, but must be extended to the whole world around us. We must therefore learn to coexist with other species, to respect and protect the different biomes present in the world. We must understand that being in harmony with nature is fundamental for the long-term survival of any species, humans included.

🔗Authenticity

Each person is as similar as they are different from any other. The similarities help us find points of contact with others, while the diversities give us strength, they help us see the world under a different light, to give birth to ideas that alone we would never have.

Just think of all the different species of animals present in nature, each with a peculiarity that makes them necessary for the functioning of the whole.

Being able to be authentic means above all to feel accepted and to accept ourselves, a primary necessity for one's sanity. Have you ever tried to live by pretending to be different? It is more common than people think and not just among minorities.

If everyone accepted their neighbor, then it goes without saying that there could be no hatred and prejudices related to race, to a physical peculiarity, to religion and so on. A hate-free society is a much more efficient and positive society.

We want everyone to feel normal about being themselves.

🔗Stability

Any organism needs a stable system to grow, but this is particularly important for us human beings, who are often too forward-thinking. The ability to design our tomorrow is among the unique features we have in respect to the whole animal kingdom, but to be used efficiently we need strong pillars that we can rely on. Uncertainty is often a source of stress and prevents society from functioning fruitfully.

We shouldn't confuse "stability" with "stasis". A system in stasis assumes that development stopped, everything is at a standstill. The stability we are referring to is instead the resistance to unexpected impulses, a system that is able to move forward towards the set goal even when facing serious, unexpected challenges.

No matter how many good intentions and qualities we arm ourselves with, perfection is not of this world. Mistakes are always on the agenda, which is why it is very important to know how to manage them.

🔗Society

We strongly believe that a competitive society is not sustainable in the long term, but rather causes many of the social problems we face today.

In a competitive society, the "other" becomes an enemy, someone to beat. Any mean is valid as long as we are ahead of everyone else, as long as we are the winners. This mentality does nothing but generate enemies and divisions, both on a macroscopic (e.g. wars between States) and microscopic (e.g. fights between colleagues) level. The reality is that every competition has only one winner, so if we accept unbridled competition on all fronts, we also accept the fact that everyone is a loser. By the law of large numbers, it is highly likely that both you, dear reader, and me will end up being losers in something. In the competitive sphere, defeats is unacceptable and always weigh in, it makes us feel less than others, unsuitable.

Humans are social animals. Our strength has always been in numbers, in the ability to join forces to create something extraordinary. Even the most introverted among us will never disdain the right company, indeed we often seek it.

The society we want, the society that best highlights the qualities of the human being, is a collaborative society. A society in which everyone has a role and can feel fulfilled. Where the neighbor is someone to collaborate with, to learn from, who will help us achieve our purpose and vice versa.
Where our strengths are accentuated and others can make up for our shortcomings. Where there is room for the scientist as much as for the artist. A society that unites rather than divides.

In a collaborative society, classism stops making sense, as do racism, strict hierarchy, gender denigration, etc...

We welcome the fact that not all people are fully aligned with our core values and the society proposed by Babel Society. We have no intention of convincing them nor converting them, we just want to live peacefully and be good neighbors.
People who like other forms of societies like capitalism, republics, etc. are free to continue down that road; we value heterogeneity of thinking.

Babel Society aims to unite all people who today are already in line with our culture, to progress all together towards a better future.

🔗How to be part of it

Any external person who wants to be part of our society will first have to get in touch with members who are already part of it. It will be up to them to present a project in their name in which members explain why the applicant should be part of our society. The applicant must be available to meet other interested members of the society in order to better assess whether it is appropriate to accept the application.
If the project is accepted, the person will be admitted on a provisional basis. Once their eligibility has been demonstrated, the project can be considered concluded and they will become an actual member. Otherwise, the candidate will lose their status as a member of the society and will be treated as a normal tourist. In case the rejected candidate decide to go back to wherever they came from, the society must support them financially as much as they can.

In the initial phase it is extremely important that all members are united and cohesive, that they strive towards the common goal.
As the society acquires strength and autonomy, it will then be easier to accept new members thanks to the greater stability achieved.
In any case, the necessary checks should always be made to maintain the right balance between heterogeneity of thinking and possible disruption of the status quo.

🔗How to get out

Leaving the society is quite easy: it will be enough to open a project in which the author communicates their will to leave. All privately owned assets, except real estates, can be brought with them, including all resources eligible at that time. It will be possible to request extra resources in order to be able to start a new life without being disadvantaged. In this last case, the debate will open to decide how many actual extra resources will be given.
This is the only type of project that cannot be archived, if not by the author's own will.

Once accepted, the society will provide the necessary means to the outgoing party in order to help them reach the new desired location.

It will always be possible to rejoin the society, but you will have to go through the process described in How to be a part of it.

🔗Decision making

In Babel Society all decisions are in the hand of its people and therefore there are no central government institutions.

Anyone can propose any change to society through projects, which will be evaluated and discussed by other members of society. The only way to approve a project is through consensus.

In such a context, education and learning how to properly engage in fruitful discussions is of the utmost importance. This is yet another reason to start small and grow organically.

This distribution of power ensures decisions will benefit all and render corruption unfeasible. Another benefit is that different geographical areas and ethnicities have different needs, and now we have all the tools we need to take care of it.

Babel Society encourages all members to always improve and refine any aspects of it, to inspect, test and analyze other solutions, to approach every matter through critical thinking.

🔗Participation

All members of the society can participate in every aspect of it, without limits of age, gender, sexual orientation, etc...

Participation will always be voluntary, so that one can freely choose which projects to participate in based on their interests.

It is assumed that each person will participate in those discussions that concern them the most or that they know better, thus optimizing decision time and information flow.

🔗Projects

Those who want to make changes to the system can do so by submitting a project in the Virtual Forum.
A project is a particular type of discussion in which it is clearly explained what are the reasons that led to the proposal and what actions must be taken to make it happen. A very important detail is that the project will have to identify the members of society on whom the proposed changes will have the greatest impact. The latter will have greater decision-making power on the proposal.

We will continue with a fruitful discussion, critical and constructive, analyzing the project in every aspect, trying to improve it as possible, but also to understand if it is actually beneficial to carry it out.

The discussion must at least last a month, to give everyone the opportunity to participate.
The method of approval will change according to the extent and impact area of the change: the greater the entity, the greater the amount of assent and critical thoughts it will have to gather.
During the discussion, the skills necessary for the development of the project will have to be identified and possibly include which members will help in the implementation.

When reviewing a project, unless there is a fundamental issue or something that could harm the whole society, we should be open-minded and accepting new solutions. We expect most discussions will be around how to improve the project rather than denying it.

If accepted, the author of the project will be responsible for it and will have to carry it out, with the help of the whole society. The author may decide to yield ownership to somebody else, but this must be cleared upfront.

🔗Local Consensus

A project needs the full consent of all members interested in the proposal to be implemented. Reaching a consensus is essential to ensure the highest degree of efficiency during the implementation phase, but also to ensure that minorities aren't penalized.

We strive for local consensus rather than global. Most decisions will only affect a small portion of the whole community, therefore only those people should take part in the decision.

Take for example a project to build a dam to divert a river to make an area more fertile. Suppose the river go through a small town, but the flow is interrupted by the dam.

In this context the town people will have a substantial weight in the discussion, as the river could be their primary source of water. The proposal should also benefit them and include an alternative source of water in the project if needed.
Another important weight will be given to civil engineers that can evaluate the feasibility of the dam, geologists to evaluate the environmental impact, but also farmers who will use the water to grow new products.
In order to build the dam it is essential that all parties are in agreement and that a solution is found that does not harm anyone but rather enriches society as a whole.

Achieving consensus is in perfect harmony with a collaborative society, where the well-being of all is valued.

🔗Phases

The project will have to go through several phases before it can be considered done:

🔗Revocation of a project

A project could be revoked if, during its implementation or just after its conclusion, new elements are discovered that change the overall picture. Going back to the dam example, perhaps the alternative solution to cover the town's water needs is insufficient, or perhaps the environmental impact is more severe than expected. Whatever the reason, any concerned member of the society can file an injunction on the project and, after explaining their reasons in detail, further discussion will take place. This procedure is very similar to proposing a new change, but in case of serious problems it should be much faster. The simplest way is to contact the author of the project and the various members who have previously voted for it.

During the revocation, it is important to identify the short term solutions to fix any serious problem. Once the imminent dangers have been resolved, a new project will have to be created in order to address the problems caused in a thorough way, to find appropriate solutions in the long term, as well as to understand why those mistakes were made in the first place and to design, wherever possible, a way to decrease the chance of them happening again.

🔗Priority

In case there is a lack of resources necessary to start a project that has already been approved, it will be put on a list, however the priority in the list will be determined through member voting, so that the most relevant problems will be tackled first. Please note that this is different from normal waiting lists due to the vote system, there is also no limit on how much a project can be delayed. Each member can vote for only one project in the list, but they can change their vote and support a different project at any time. The lists should be split by geographical area to avoid penalizing areas with low population density, also different areas will have different priorities.

It may happen that multiple areas will require the same resources, in this case we will discuss what project should be tackled first and materialize the decision by using a global list.

This system may seem complex, but the technology behind is pretty straightforward and will help us to make the right decisions.

🔗Fruitful Discussions

Discussions are at the heart of Babel Society. Discussions can arise anywhere, but the best place to bring forward important topics is the Virtual Forum, given that writing helps us fix thoughts and gives participants time to reflect on the content.

At the base of every fruitful discussion there is the desire of collaboration. One must always keep in mind other members' points of view, which could be opposed to ours. In a fruitful discussion there are no winners or losers, what is important is to get to the bottom of the matter.
The more people contribute to the discussion, the harder it will be to agree on a solution. In these cases it is essential to find a solution that everyone judges to be right and fair, one that all are willing to carry out. If this does not happen, diatribes on certain topics could arise, which will undermine the relationship between the members of society and could give life to conflicting groups. Finding an agreement is therefore essential for the functioning of a free and harmonious society.

Another important aspect is to discuss the merits of the question, relying as much as possible on ascertainable facts, without taking into account who initiated the discussion. Taking sides out of a sense of friendship (or enmity) is very dangerous and leads to bad decisions that could have serious repercussions on the whole society.

Learning how to discuss fruitfully will perhaps be one of the most difficult challenges for Babel Society, given that most societies today are geared towards discuss-to-win mentality. However, because we will start as a small group that should be already well versed in fruitful discussions, it will be easier to ensure every new member learns this skill and we are confident it will soon become natural. For those wishing to get ahead, we recommend reading Crucial Conversations.

🔗Conflicts resolution

In a large group of people it would be inevitable to incur in conflicts. The main way to resolve conflicts would be through fruitful discussion, we strive to find the best solution that could satisfy all of us.

There is still a chance discussion will escalate and no solution is found. In this case we should reach out to a mediator: a person capable of navigating tough discussions. Mediators have no decision power, their role is to apply diplomacy to further dig into the problem, and help conflicting parties find a solution that would satisfy them.

In case the conflict arise from how to solve a certain problem, the best way to overcome it may be to prototype all solutions available and see which one gives the best outcomes. As per our core values, we strive for authenticity, and so we should accept that different solutions may be preferred by different groups.

🔗Education

Any society will be always as good as its average member, it is therefore fundamental to have a good general education level. Ignorance makes it easy to manipulate the masses and could lead to shortsighted choices that over time could destroy the very fabric of society, as we can now see with the impending ecological catastrophe.

Education is essential for a society to function properly, but the school system as we all know isn't a suitable solution. Many people have been traumatized by school, some still have real nightmares about exams and homework. In many cases school raises people who hate studying instead of helping them enjoy it.

The main reason for being unsuitable as a method of instruction is that the school is structured in such a way as to trap the student in well-defined activities in which they don't have much choice. This is in stark contrast with the outside world, where little is established and we have to find our own path.

The educational system proposed by Babel Society is free and takes into account everyone's peculiarities, different attitudes and learning speed. We want to create a system without "classes", age division and grades.
Children will start by exploring different topics to understand what they have more aptitude towards and learn basic skills, but the most important part will be to give them the necessary tools to evolve within society itself, such as critical thinking, the importance of authenticity, of collaboration, to respect others and what you have. In short, teaching them how to make the most out of the world we live in.
It is fundamental to make learning something positive, the best time of their days.
Learning should never create a scar but rather foster personal growth.

Subsequent studies will not be decided by fixed degrees, but students will have various courses at their disposal that they can explore throughout their life.
Small pieces that we can use to build our personal mosaic of knowledge.

These courses will be more similar to the college "subjects". Each course may require the overcoming of others before it and this is how we will gradually advance in knowledge.

Lessons should be interactive, spark discussions and take the time to deepen what the students have learned. We believe that different subjects need different methods to be learned. For example, chemistry and physics will be more interesting if theory is accompanied by experiments to put it into practice. Math can be better interiorized if we give students problems and help them reach the solution. History will have more effect if instead of dwelling only on the general aspect of it, we will take the time to narrate the lives of the key characters of the time, of how people lived, of the substantial differences with the reality we now take for granted. Geography will be better appreciated if students are given the opportunity to visit the studied places. These are just a few ideas, it will be up to teachers and researchers to better understand how to maximize learning.

The free choice of courses will allow everyone to learn at their own pace. Too often the emphasis in schools is on getting a good grade rather than making sure the student has actually learned a concept.
Since there will be no homework nor exams, it is up to teachers to decide whether a student has completed the course.

It is good to point out that the courses will have no age limit, so we could have adults, seniors and teenagers in a single room. Although bizarre by today's standards, this generational mix could instead stimulate interesting discussions, as well as bring the various age groups closer together.

An online lesson archive will be created so that everyone can benefit from the best teachers available to society. Attending lessons in person is the recommended way and the society itself will provide the necessary means for each person to do so. However, remote learning will also be made available to make up for cases in which attending in person is not possible, or is the method preferred by the student.

Proper education is made possible only by competent and passionate teachers who are able to convey their love for the subject.
We firmly believe that teachers are the pillars of our future society, for this reason becoming a teacher will not be easy, it will not be enough to know the subject, specific courses for teaching must be completed. The psychological aspect is very important and should not be neglected, especially when dealing with children and adolescents.

In order to ensure that teachers can adequately follow their students, this system assumes a limited number of participants, probably no more than 10 per course. Training a sufficient number of capable and prepared teachers will be the greatest challenge for this system. In the event of a shortage of teachers, priority should be given to children, while others can make up for it through self learning based on the material available.

🔗Crimes

Babel Society wants to remove all causes that can bring one person to commit a crime. For example, by disconnecting access to goods from work done, all those crimes caused by hunger and discontent are eliminated. There will be no reason for a person to rely on criminal organizations just because they have to support their family. Criminal activities such as drugs dealing and smuggling would be much more complex to manage without money to fuel them.
Thefts are expected to decrease significantly as everyone has access to the same items.
By creating a society where we can all be authentic, hate crimes should drastically decrease too. This effect should be amplified by collaboration, as it will create a sense of conviviality that will make us less inclined to selfishness.
Finally, the focus on education should provide younger generations the tools to enjoy life rather than destroy it.

Nonetheless, we are aware that there will always be crimes. Humans can be extremely creative when it comes to causing troubles.

Society will still need guards: trained people able to make all members of society feel safe, to intervene to prevent violent crimes such as murders. In order to avoid an escalation of violence, normal guards should only have tools to subdue individuals. Their main goal is to prevent further violence rather than causing even more.

Guards will be much different from the police structure we have today. There will be no hierarchy of power and no uniforms. There will be less focus on following a predetermined set of rules, and no mindless discipline, but rather the training will emphasize helping society feel safe. Guards will not have any special power over people, each member of the society can act as a guard if deemed necessary. It would be good for every capable person to at least go over the basic guard training. In the end, we should all look out for each other.

Another important job will be detectives: their goal is to find the culprit and ensure that they are taken into custody. Once caught, it will be up to a team of psychologists specialized in crimes who, using the evidence collected by guards and detectives, will have to understand if they have arrested the right person.

Dialog with the alleged criminal is fundamental, based on which the team may request verification of certain facts, gathering of additional evidence, or perhaps seeking support from other colleagues.

Once they are sure they have the right person, they will have to assess the seriousness of the crime and decide on how to handle it. If some people where wronged, they should be counseled to understand what would be the best retribution. If in doubt, they should discuss the crime in a larger group, perhaps seeking support of mediators.

🔗Rehabilitation System

Babel Society does not believe in punishments bordering on torture or death penalty. Collaboration means we will not leave behind those who find it difficult to adapt, respecting them as humans and living beings.
Treating the troublemakers as if they were monsters only increases their hatred towards society.
The main goal of the rehabilitation process is to correct what led them to commit their crime, give them the opportunity to contribute to the well-being of all and to fulfill themselves. After all, no one is perfect and we can all make a mistake.

Understanding why they did what they did can also be a moment of introspection for the society as a whole, to understand if we failed them in some way. It is important to stay open-minded and humble, perhaps these are symptoms that a change in the system is required, rather than a change in the individual.

🔗Rehabilitation programs

Every time a crime is committed it will be followed by a rehabilitation program.
The program involves counseling with a psychologist specialized in rehabilitation who aims to understand what were the causes that led to the crime. Once identified, a training course for rehabilitation purposes will be agreed with the person. The psychologist will follow the person throughout the process, to ensure maximum effectiveness and reassess the program based on the person's progress.
Rehabilitation will include a mix of dedicated courses, more generic courses and possibly also jobs to partake in.

For example, suppose we have a tendency to waste food, to the point where we no longer have resources available to feed us. In this case the system will immediately assign us to a rehabilitation program. Let's suppose that thanks to the psychologist we understand that we waste resources due to a lack of discipline, poor diet and not knowing how to cook. In this case we may be directed to a course for effective resource management, a course for proper nutrition and one to learn how to cook.

🔗Minor offenses

Minor offenses (also known as petty crimes) are usually regulated in a precise manner and have a recommended rehabilitation program. Some examples could be littering the environment, damaging common goods, excessive and systematic waste of resources, theft of small objects and not participating in any production activity for an excessive period of time.

If you persevere in committing minor offenses, the case will get much more serious until it becomes a major offense.

🔗Major offenses

Major offenses are punished with imprisonment. Some examples of major offenses are murder, theft of massive amount of assets, omission by a manufacturer, pollution, neglecting maintenance of important structures (e.g. bridges), as well as causing a violent group reaction, especially hate crimes.

🔗Imprisonment

The greatest punishment that can be cast is the restriction of freedom.
During this period, the inmate will be guaranteed living conditions similar to those they would have outside. We reiterate that the punishment is freedom deprivation, not torture.

On the basis of the crime committed and the motivation identified by the team of psychologists, a rehabilitation program will be established, at the end of which the inmate will be able to become an active member of society once again. If the inmate is not deemed harmful for others, it would be good to organize mixed courses where people from outside the imprisonment facility are also present. In this way the inmates maintain a semblance of normality which will facilitate their reintegration.

During the rehabilitation period, inmates will be engaged in the care of the facility, carrying out tasks such as cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc... Whenever possible, some could be directed towards relevant jobs to make them productive and stimulate them to a healthier lifestyle. Leisure activities will be limited to what is possible within the structures. Once they advance in the process, they may be allowed to temporary go out for recreational activities.

Although lacking in freedom, they always remain members of society and therefore will have full access to the Virtual Forum and discussions.
Access to the Virtual Forum can be useful for reporting cases of mistreatment, violence and other behaviors that are not in line with the values of our society.
Inmates will have access to external phone calls and visits, as well as to the Internet, albeit the latter may be limited.

All the resources used within the facility will be consumed from the inmates' accounts. This will allow them to collaborate in deciding how to best use the available resources; the dialog must be mediated by specialized personnel if necessary.

Once you have successfully passed the established program, you return to freedom without any other penalties whatsoever.
In the case of violent crimes, such as murder and especially if premeditated, the team of psychologists who followed the inmate during the rehabilitation will determine the conclusion of the program.

🔗Appeal

If an inmate is firmly convinced that they have been unjustly incarcerated, they can appeal by presenting a project explaining their side of the story. This option is only valid for long sentences.
Such projects must be taken very seriously and the society should be responsive to appeals.

Even the most competent of us can make mistakes in judgment, so it is possible to convict an innocent.

If the project passes the proposal phase, the group of specialists who found it guilty will have to be notified and will be required to present all facts that let them make this decision. During the review phase, the inmate will be able to meet all interested people, so that they can form a better picture.
If there is a consensus that a mistake has been made, the inmate will be released immediately.

🔗Extreme cases

The history of humanity has unfortunately generated people who could be defined as "without hope". Cases devoid of any form of empathy, time bombs that once fired up are difficult to put back together.
In these extreme cases where the rehabilitation program has no effect, in order to ensure the safety of all members of society, it will be necessary to resort to life imprisonment.

Specialized institutions may be needed to manage these troublesome members of our society, to keep them under close surveillance and in greater isolation should they be a danger to other inmates.
We must emphasize that in this case too we must guarantee them a fair quality of life.

The greatest achievement as a society would be to find a role for them, give them a goal, make them useful and fulfilled.

🔗Rule system

Society is regulated by a system of rules. A rule is something all members agree it's good to follow. Some rules may suggest a rehabilitation process for those who break it.

Rule's definition must be simple to understand and should include a reason why it is good to follow it. We do not want to codify our whole life into a strict set of rules, but rather have a basic understanding of what make us good member of our society, have some direction on what we deem unacceptable.

No rules is set in stone, every member of society can open a project to introduce, change or abolish it.

Different areas may have different rules.

We understand that it's virtually impossible to define all wrongdoings in a precise manner, furthermore context can greatly change the outcome of the retribution. That's why rules are considered as a moral compass: society will be the ultimate judge on needed retribution, hence breaking a rule can bring no retribution, while one can still be punished even though no rule was broken.

We trust people to handle issues in the most just way possible.

🔗Euthanasia

The ultimate goal of Babel Society is to create a world in which all life can flourish in harmony. To fully accept life we need to accept death. Today's society is raging on life and youth, making death something unnatural, something to escape from, always and in any case.

We should clarify that by "death" we mean "natural death", such as old age or incurable diseases. Taking the life of any living being for no real reason is the most ignoble and evil act a person could do.

That said, death is perhaps the greatest gift nature has bestowed upon us. Without death there would be no new life, we would not progress in our evolution as a species, there would be no renewal. A world without death is a world of stagnation: still, immobile, meaningless.
Refusing death does nothing but undermine our potential future, it makes us believe we have infinite time in this world, but instead it's the most precious resource we have. Life is too short to waste it on artificial worries and anxieties, to make useless and counterproductive wars...

For this reason we gladly accept death in its most merciful form: euthanasia.

Any member of society in full possession of his mental faculties can request euthanasia. The request will be evaluated by a team of specialized psychologists who will understand why the applicant chose such an extreme remedy. Psychologists will do their best to support the applicant in order to find a path that makes them enjoy life again. The applicant should at least attempt the recovery. Sometimes it can happen that a tragic event mentally breaks us to such an extent we desire death, however it is often possible to get up with the right support, to put the pieces back together.
Other cases may have to do with patients afflicted with incurable diseases, whose only prospect is suffering and decay.
After careful analysis and discussion, the date for euthanasia will be set. It remains possible for the applicant to cancel at any time if they change their mind.

In cases where the person is mentally defective and not self-sufficient, it will be up to the legal guardians to decide whether it is appropriate to resort to euthanasia. Even these cases will be evaluated by a specialized team in order to ascertain that this is the most humane solution.

🔗Economics

Economy is a fundamental aspect of every society, but way too often we bend society in favor of it. Think about the economic crisis of 2008, where banks got bailed out and their debts poured out on society as a whole. In contrast, the debts of the weak people, which where direct consequence of banks bad behavior, weren't socialized and many lost their homes and killed themselves out of despair. Socialism for the strong, capitalism for the weak. That's the kind of society we live in.

Babel inverts the trend: we let economy serve society, to improve the well-being of all rather than the few.

We derive it from the core values of our society, freedom and collaboration in particular. The freedom aspect dictates that every person should be able to explore life according to their will. Collaboration teaches us that together we can achieve what alone would be impossible. Even the most novel invention would never be without the help of those who came before, those who supported and inspired the inventor.

Another guiding principle is that we want an economic system that helps us prevent social issues such as poverty, corruption, exploitation, etc...

Taking all in consideration, our main design decision is: an individual's quality of life is strictly bound to society's quality of life.

This means that by improving our life we automatically improve other people's life too, creating a virtuous cycle.

The only practical way to achieve it is for all to be free and available to all. There is no strict limitation to consumption, while production is in direct control of everyone involved.

Imagine a world where you don't have to struggle to cover your basic needs, one where we all collaborate and enjoy the best quality of life we can produce. A world where labor is pleasurable and through which we can express the full might of our ambition, or simply find our place in society.

This system best express freedom and collaboration in every aspect, able to care for all the different kind of human soul, from the artistic and chaotic to the logical and precise.

Technology will help us make it efficient: we track everything is produced and consumed; thanks to these data, available to all, producers can adapt their production line in the best way they see fit.

We expect this system to yield unparalleled innovation, but this is only a positive side effect. We aren't interested in an economic model that maximize production while destroying human lives. Quite the contrary, our main goal is to maximize quality of life, to push it at the highest level collectively.

Babel In Depth: Economy discuss more in detail our economic system.

🔗Labor

Work is all about collaboration. There are very few ventures that can be done in isolation.

True to our core values of freedom, and to our understanding of authority, we believe every person must be free to pursue their own vocation, whatever would it be.

There will be no contracts, no strict working schedules and no owners. It is all based on free association of people and their mutual respect.

Everyone will work whenever they want, as much as they want and on what they want.

Willful labor is the only way to maximize work efficiency. It doesn't matter what processes employers try to setup to stimulate their employees to work more, high quality always comes with willfulness.

If I don't like my job, no matter the incentives and punishments, I will always work at a fraction of my ability, constantly battling with the impulse of doing something else.

By disconnecting quality of life from work done, we liberate our full potential. We are free from our individual limitations, able to harness all that society has to offer to achieve what we want, what society as a whole really needs.

By allowing people to work as much as they want on what they are interested, we ensure the best quality of work with the least amount of stress, nurturing a pleasant work environment.

Are you tired of your current job? Just try another venture for some time and see how it goes. There is no need to commit your entire life to a single career. You are free to go as deep and wide as it best suit yourself.

Did you overwork yourself on the last project out of excitement? Disconnect and get some well-deserved leisure time. It is up to you. It's that easy.

Babel In Depth: Labor discuss more in detail how labor is structured in Babel.

🔗Research

In a society where working is not mandatory, technological advancement becomes even more important as it will contribute to the improvement of everyone's life.

Both physical and virtual research centers will be developed so that everyone can exchange information freely.

Research is the field that more than any other benefits from high collaboration. In capitalism particular inventions and discoveries are kept under strict control through patents and intellectual property rights, which limit their application as well as their advancement. Thanks to Babel free and collaborative environment, everyone is able to take advantage of the best discoveries.

However, the human intellect can produce wonders and tragedies, that's why each project should align with our core values, for example cruel experiments on living beings should be avoided.

Research often burns through many resources before it leads to any result, and even though we should keep an eye on the amount consumed, we must facilitate it as much as possible.

It goes without saying that many researches never bear fruit, but this is a risk intrinsic in the activity carried out and one we gladly accept. Those who never fail are those who never act.

Dare, dare, and yet again, dare! It is better to dare and fail than to miss the chance of a great improvement.

🔗Personal sphere

🔗Competition

Although our society places great emphasis on collaboration, on a personal level some healthy competition never hurts and certainly shouldn't be stigmatized. Both competition and collaboration are part of our human nature, therefore it will naturally manifest itself in society.

When working on a problem it is inevitable for people to come up with all sorts of solutions. Instead of insisting in using just one, after a thorough screening, would be better to give a try to as many as possible. This natural competition helps us further evolve our understanding of the problem and to better solve the issue.

Competition is also important in all competitions, such as musical ones, videogames tournaments, martial arts, sports, etc...

We hope that a healthy and positive competition will always be established, in which our rivals are respected and seen as companions on a journey, perhaps as a goal to reach and overcome. Why not, they might become our best friends.

🔗Personal ownership

It is widely demonstrated that humans need stability in order to function at their best and live a peaceful life. Personal ownership, i.e. being able to benefit from a particular product in an exclusive and unlimited way, helps us increase this sense of stability and our planning skills.

We own all products granted by society.

🔗Recreational Activities

Recreational activities are just as important as productive ones for a healthy and balanced life. Each person should have enough time to spend with their family, especially with their children. This is why we always recommend balancing your days between productive and recreational activities.

We emphasize that productivity, although very important for the proper functioning of society, must never be at the expense of one's personal life.

Several studies have shown that to be fully productive and enjoy greater creativity, rest and idleness are essential. A good book that links productivity to rest is "The Power of Full Engagement" by James E. Loher and Tony Schwartz.
In fact, our brain works best when we are in complete idleness; when there is no other distraction but ourselves, it becomes easier to analyze our life, our problems, to improve our psychological balance.

Idleness, while useful, is certainly not one of the most social recreational activities; we have no doubt society will organize itself in such a way to provide ample recreational opportunities.

🔗Sexual identity

In full respect of everyone's freedom and authenticity, we respect and promote exploring and understanding oneself and one's sexual identity.

Discrimination have no place in Babel, sexual identity is no different.

A very important aspect is emphasis in sexual education, which should be carried out already at an early age, and no later than early adolescence, to help them better understand all the changes in their body and manage the sexual sphere in a healthy way.

🔗Spirituality and Religion

Spirituality and freedom of religion is very important for self-realization and therefore all beliefs are admitted. We consider spirituality as strictly personal. Religious organizations will not have any particular treatment and all its members will have to fully respect and be an active member of society.

Peaceful coexistence and collaboration between members of different beliefs is fundamental. We remind ourselves that to build any type of structure we need the consent of everyone, therefore creating tensions and divisions will only lead to discontent and make our life harder.

🔗Travels

Getting in touch with different cultures is extremely important to broaden our vision of the world. By better understanding different cultures, it will be easier to relate with them, break misconceptions and foster collaboration. We trust that society will reach a level of well-being such as to be able to guarantee to each member a periodic visit to another country for at least one month a year.

It will be beneficial to set up organized travels, especially in countries where the language barrier could lead to problems, or in those having more stringent access regulations. That's said, each member must be given free choice on how to organize the trip as they see fit.

At first, the possibility of travel will likely be subject to waiting lists, where those who have made fewer trips should have higher priority. During the distribution of resources it is always good to invest in this aspect.

🔗Technology

At the heart of Babel Society is a technological revolution that aims to give as much visibility and power as possible to every member of society.

Each technological component is created following the philosophy of Free Open Source Software, which is one of the most successful forms of collaboration. This means that:

Over the years it has been shown that the technologies thus developed tend to be among the safest and most reliable because it is more likely that flaws or incorrect behaviors are identified and corrected.

Technology advancement becomes an ally that can improve our lives rather than making them worse.

All technologies as well as being free will have to be as decentralized as possible. We aim for a distributed infrastructure in which every member holds a piece of the puzzle.

Decentralization is what makes a system highly resilient to external attacks and is in line with the underlying philosophy of the Internet and Babel itself.

🔗App

The App is a smartphone application that will also provide a two-factor authentication, verify the person identity and provide access to all other technological tools available.

🔗Tracker

It's an application used to keep track of how much we consumed and of our soft limits, well integrated in the App and with the E-commerce.

🔗E-commerce

Central place where all products available in the society are stored. Each product page have detailed information on its production, where we can buy it, and much more. We expect most products to be available for delivery.

🔗Virtual Forum

The Virtual Forum is an online place where people can gather and discuss, share their interests and concerns, but more importantly apply changes to society itself through projects. The identity of each person will be clearly displayed to ensure accountability.

🔗Join us!

Thank you for having read the full manifest. If these ideas resonated with you and would like to get in touch, feel free to fill the form.

Please understand that the following form is no way binding. You are only sharing your interest in being part and/or support Babel Society.

Thank you for your support, we will reach out to you soon!

Do you have any feedback on this article? Let us know at /r/babelsociety or send us an email to feedback@babelsociety.org