We envision a human civilization that is **participatory, vital,** and **resilient.** We believe in a future in which humanity has passed through our current evolutionary “eye of the needle” without destroying the substrate of living systems on which we depend. In such a civilization, our civic paradigm — our cultures and systems — are oriented toward life-affirming ways of being. Three values form our north star, both as collective intention and as a holistic rubric for peer evaluation of any civilizational system: - **Vitality** → Thriving across individuals, communities, and ecologies. - **Choice** → Respect for sovereign agency and meaningful participation. - **Resilience** → Adaptive self-organization that sustains life through change. MIGRATE Three values form a north star that helps us to evaluate the systemic ethics and outcomes of our adaptations. These values represent both a shared collective intent as well as a rubric for peer evaluation of our work towards these shared aims. [[vitality]] is the embodied state of _thriving_ that emerges from the interconnected levels of well-being and quality of life for individuals, communities, and ecologies. [[choice]] is the state of fundamental respect for the sovereign _agency_ of all beings and the capacity of individual agents to participate and influence their circumstances. [[resilience]] is the state and the _capacity_ for adaptive self-organization sufficient to provide core life support function across changing world circumstances. MIGRATE The end goal of open civic systems is not simply a mental exercise in alternative systems design. Open civic systems are inherently designed to increase the capacity for self-correction that would directly empower citizens to move towards health and wellbeing. To evaluate the success or failure of any open civic system, a triad of qualitative indicators are necessary as a rubric for a healthy civilization. These indicators shouldn’t be considered as separate domains but rather as interconnected criteria for holistic systemic adaptation and design. ### **Resilience** **Resilience is the state and the capacity for adaptive self-organization sufficient to provide core life support function across changing world circumstances.** As things change over time, resilience ensures we have the ability to adjust and adapt without losing our essential needs. The philosophy of decentralization is inherent to the philosophy of resilience, because centralized structures are fragile and non-adaptive whereas decentralized structures are modular, adaptive, and redundant to ensure their function as circumstances stress the integrity of a system. For example, imagine compostable bioplastic 3D printer micro manufacturing to minimize dependencies on international industrial supply chains. This is a way of creating decentralized local infrastructure that allows us to more easily meet needs locally and adapt to change. Examples of indicators of resilience include: - Diversity - Redundancy - Adaptive Capacity - Interconnectivity ### **Choice** **Choice is the state of fundamental respect for the sovereign agency of all beings and the capacity of individual agents to express their agency and influence their circumstances.** Designing for choice compels us to design systems that support agency, not constrict or take it away. Systems of self-definition are systems in which agents opt-in and choose how they want to participate. Choice also implies that agents have the ability to assert their will and change their situation if they are not satisfied or fulfilled. An example of this is a principle from Elinor Ostrom, which states that people who are affected by a governance structure should be able to participate in it and modify it. Choice is fundamental because unless all agents are all able to participate in the design and application of our systems, systems designers may not include a particular voice, producing unhealthy cultures of dominance. Examples of indicators of choice include: - Opt-in and opt-out mechanisms - Flexible participation levels - Participatory decision making - Feedback and conflict resolution mechanisms - Modularity and composability - Access to information and data self-custody ### **Vitality** **Vitality is Life’s capacity to create more Life, the embodied state of thriving that emerges from the interconnected levels of well-being and quality of life for individuals, communities, and ecologies.** Vitality is based on the indigenous [Quechua](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quechuan_languages) principle of _Sumak kawsay_, which means “I am well because you are well”. This implies that unless our ecologies are thriving, we cannot be well either. We are all connected and our experiences of thriving are all connected. This has to do with bioregionalism, how we steward our soil and water, and how we design our systems to account for all the levels of well-being. Examples of indicators of vitality include: - Cultural diversity - Engagement - Community vitality - Ecological diversity and resilience - Living standards - Psychological well-being - Self-reported physical health - Use of time - Education