Towards a Global Referendum
Part 3 of 3: Symbiotic Intelligence Theory Part 1 described the problem: hierarchy and market have formed a self-reinforcing alliance that colonizes community, democracy, and the natural ecosystem itself. Part 2 identified the mechanism: the instrument chosen to achieve a goal tends to colonize the logic of that goal, in proportion to its speed and … Read more
Part 2 of 3: Symbiotic Intelligence Theory What does it mean that the instruments trump the goals? In Part 1, we described how two of Malone’s five collective intelligences—market and hierarchy—have formed an alliance that systematically colonizes community and democracy. But describing a pattern is not the same as explaining it. Why does this happen? … Read more
A new political concept is coined: Pragmarchy. Modern political thought offers us a familiar binary. On one side stands autocracy; concentrated, efficient, and dangerously unaccountable. On the other stands what Robert Dahl termed polyarchy. In this system, many people have a say. However, that say is filtered through representatives. These representatives are chosen at intervals … Read more
Both physical meetings and technology are essential for Peer Democracy. There is a common misconception that digital democracy is about replacing human contact with screens. This prejudice suggests that making political decisions online means preferring gadgets over conversation and community. Peer Democracy is based on the exact opposite. It relies on research into how humans … Read more
Olof Palme and Anna Lindh envisioned “Living Citizenship” focused on citizens, not institutions. Peer Democracy, emerging 40 years later, allows individuals to vote annually on one selected issue, enhancing engagement and expertise. This model resolves the competence gap in decision-making, promoting a more informed and participatory democracy through a scalable app.
Peer Democracy versus Liquid Democracy is a matter of avoiding power concentration. In liquid democracy, power flows inevitably to the most popular and charismatic persons. Peer democracy makes it impossible by limiting the power and preventing trading and delegation.
We distinguish between the foundational idea of Equal Democracy and the evolutionary step of Peer Democracy.
We all have ideas about how society should be governed, but we lack the time to engage. Besides, we aren’t interested in every single issue. This is a crucial challenge that modern democratic systems struggle with. The solution? Peer Democracy (PD). Peer Democracy (PD) or Equal Democracy (ED) is a decision-making process built upon a … Read more
There is a dangerous myth about democracy that slowness has an eigenvalue. The slow movement is an initiative that advocates for a slower pace of modern life. It encourages individuals to embrace a more thoughtful and deliberate approach. It was an offshoot of the slow food movement, which began in 1986 as a protest against … Read more
The Moral Compass is always needed. This is why Equal Democracy has a single, simple, and universally defensible moral principle: Avoid Unnecessary Harm. The challenges facing humanity—from the climate crisis to the governance of transnational corporations—are complex, urgent, and global in scope. A new system of global governance, such as Peer Democracy (PD), must not … Read more