Knowledge library

Articles for independent inquiry.

Shorter entry points into the questions explored across THY-REALITY. Browse by field or search directly by title and description.

ACTION PATHCreate a mutual-aid fundStart with limited coverage, clear contributions, reserves, appeal and a predefined threshold for moving risks from the local fund into a wider pool.

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People of different ages care for a community garden together, each contributing according to their capacity.

R53 · Natural Law August 24, 2021 16 min read

Voluntary Cooperation and the Free-Rider Problem

Voluntary cooperation does not require everyone to contribute equally, but it does require a fair relationship among benefit, capacity and responsibility.

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A group sits around a shared table and deliberates without a visible permanent leader, symbolizing shared decision making and limited roles.

R58 · Human relationships August 30, 2021 24 min read

How Do We Make Decisions Without a Permanent Ruler?

A community does not need a permanent ruler, but it does need a sound process. This article compares consensus, consent, voting, delegation, sortition, and limited mandates and shows when each method fits.

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An open path into a community where people cooperate voluntarily while maintaining clear membership boundaries.

R59 · Human relationships August 31, 2021 25 min read

Who Is a Member of the Community? Entry, Belonging, and Exit

A healthy community makes clear who is a member, what rights and responsibilities membership carries, how people join, and how they leave peacefully — without coerced belonging or hidden gatekeeping.

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An individual stands within an open boundary of light while the surrounding community remains connected without invading personal space.

R61 · Human relationships September 2, 2021 27 min read

How Does a Community Protect the Individual from the Community?

Even a local community can become a source of pressure and privilege. This article shows how to limit majority power, nepotism, conflicts of interest, discrimination, and retaliation without making collective decision making impossible.

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An older person remains at the centre of their own life while a support network of people and services helps without taking control.

R65 · Human relationships September 7, 2021 24 min read

Old Age, Dependency, and Dignity

Old age can increase the need for help without reducing a person’s moral worth. This article shows how to connect care, autonomy, safety, and protection from domination.

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A vulnerable person remains included within a community circle while surrounding members carry different parts of support without depicting care as a bargain or subordination.

R66 · Community building September 8, 2021 10 min read

What Do We Owe a Person Who Cannot Reciprocally Contribute?

Reciprocity protects cooperation from exploitation, but it must not become a measure of human worth. This article separates inability from free riding and tests the limits of care, justice, and positive obligations.

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Several local circles connect their smaller funds into a wider protection pool while remaining autonomous and linked to an outer reserve layer.

R67 · Community building September 9, 2021 11 min read

Mutual Aid, Insurance, and Social Security from the Bottom Up

How does direct help become durable protection? This article separates aid, savings, community funds and insurance, then shows why small voluntary pools need wider networks for large risks.

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