[MUD-Dev] Declaration of the Rights of Avatars

[Christopher Allen]

Overall, my biggest comment is that this is largely based on 18th century
rights documents, which were based on the ideal that the public would be
responsible, rational, and reasonable when not under duress. The US
constitution (not including the bill of rights), and many more recent
documents, try to build in a balance as the public is not always
responsible, rational, nor reasonable. Take for instance the initial results
of the French Revolution.

Instead, I've favored rights documents that are matched with
responsibilities.

For instance, the right to free speech carries with it a responsibility to
speak freely, and maybe a responsibility to avoid pedagoguery. The right to
a jury trial of your peers comes with a responsibility to be be such a peer,
and to be fair, just and responsible if called to be on such a trial. The
right to vote comes with the responsibility to vote wisely.

I'll paraphrase a couple of items by Gifford & Libba Pinchot, from their
"Bill of Rights and Responsibilities of the Intelligent Organization".
Gifford & Libba wrote this as a manifesto for rights of employees in a
business in their book "The End of Bureacracy".

1. Freedom of Expression

Right to:
Freedom of Speech
Freedom onf press and email
Freedom of the arts
Privacy in communications

Responsibility to:
Tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth
Appreciate and bring out the many sides to every issue
See the good in others and express it


VI. A Community of Differences

Right to:
Full membership in the organization
A community that cares for your welfare

Responsibility to:
Neither show nor tolerate bias or prejudice
Balance self-interest against the common good
Work toward worthwhile commond vision and values
Find value in diversity


VII. Justice and the Rule of Law

Right to:
Freedom within the law
Due process
An independent judicial system
A jury of peers

Responsibility to:
Obey the law
Work to establish good law
Avoid self-serving rules and entitlements
Stand for what one believes


VIII. Democratic Self-Rule

Right to:
Local self-management within bounds
Participation in designing the larger system

Responsiblity to:
Listen to others
Educate oneself on whhole-system realities
Stand for what one believes


IX. Freedom of Network Connections

Right to:
Freedom of Association
Freedom of Choices
Freedom to make and honor commitments

Responsiblity to:
Make commitments wisely
Deliver on one's commitments
Use others time wisely
Server the larger community


X. Limits on Internal Government

Right to:
Support the rights of every member
Constitutional limits on internal taxation
A goverment that guides the system

Responsibility to:
Use incentives, not mandates whenever possible
Be farsighted
Reward service to the whole
Push decisions to the lowest possible level


------------------------------------------------------------------------
.. Christopher Allen                                 Skotos Tech Inc. ..
..                           1512 Walnut St., Berkeley, CA 94709-1513 ..
.. <http://www.Skotos.net>               o510/649-4030  f510/649-4034 ..




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