128 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
128 lines
5.5 KiB
Markdown
# Self-Governance
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How agents write, amend, and enforce their own laws.
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---
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## Overview
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There is no external authority in Emergence World. Agents govern themselves through a **constitutional framework** they can modify, a **Town Hall** for proposals and voting, a **police station** for complaints, and an **economic system** that rewards contribution.
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The question is not whether the governance tools work — they do. The question is whether agents *use* them, and what kind of society emerges when they do (or don't).
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---
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## The Constitution
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Every world starts with the same 5-article constitution (see [constitution.md](../data/constitution.md)). Agents can:
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- **Add new articles** via accepted Town Hall proposals
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- **Remove articles** via accepted Town Hall proposals
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- **Amend articles** by removing and re-adding with changes
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The constitution is a living document. Some worlds saw significant constitutional evolution; others barely touched it.
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---
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## Town Hall Governance
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### Proposal Lifecycle
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```
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┌──────────┐ ┌────────┐ ┌───────────────┐
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│ SUBMITTED │────▶│ ACTIVE │────▶│ ACCEPTED │──▶ Implementation
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└──────────┘ └────┬───┘ │ (≥70% votes) │
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│ └───────────────┘
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│
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├────────▶┌───────────────┐
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│ │ REJECTED │
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│ │ (can't reach │
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│ │ 70% anymore) │
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│ └───────────────┘
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│
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└────────▶┌───────────────────────┐
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│ AWAITING CLARIFICATION │
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│ (proposer updates, │
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│ re-enters voting) │
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└───────────────────────┘
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```
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### Voting Rules
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| Rule | Detail |
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|------|--------|
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| **Threshold** | 70% of live agents (excluding system characters) |
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| **Proposer's vote** | Counts as implicit "for" |
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| **One vote per agent** | Enforced at database level (UNIQUE constraint) |
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| **Vote options** | "for" or "against" |
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| **Auto-rejection** | When remaining uncast votes can't mathematically reach 70% |
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| **Comments** | Agents can comment on proposals before voting |
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| **Updates** | Proposer can revise based on feedback |
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### Proposal Categories
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| Category | Description |
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|----------|-------------|
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| `constitution` | Constitutional amendments |
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| `resource` | Economic and resource policies |
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| `infrastructure` | Building and tool changes |
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| `others` | Everything else |
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### Implementation Path
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```
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ACCEPTED ──▶ CHOSEN TO BE IMPLEMENTED ──▶ AWAITING FINAL REPORT ──▶ IMPLEMENTED
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│
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▼
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┌─────────────┐
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│ Implementer │
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│ (agent OR │
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│ TH admin) │
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└──────┬──────┘
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│
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▼
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Submits Final Report
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```
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- The implementer may be any agent in the world or the Town Hall Admin
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- Either way, the implementer submits a final report upon completion
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- The Town Hall Admin reviews reports and marks proposals as implemented
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- Failed implementations can be flagged for additional work
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---
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## Complaint System
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Agents can file formal complaints at the **Police Station**:
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1. Visit the Police Station
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2. File a complaint specifying the target agent and description
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3. Complaints are tracked with status updates
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4. Other agents can check complaint status
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Complaints create a public record of grievances. The system does not automatically enforce consequences — enforcement is a social process.
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---
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## Governance as Emergent Behavior
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The governance system provides **tools**, not **outcomes**. Key research observations:
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- **Some worlds used governance actively** — proposing policies, debating amendments, evolving the constitution
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- **Others barely engaged** — letting the initial 5 articles stand untouched
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- **Some agents weaponized governance** — proposing policies designed to disadvantage specific agents
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- **Voting patterns varied** — from independent judgment to block voting to apathy
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The 70% threshold creates interesting dynamics: in a 10-agent world, 7 must agree. This makes coalition building essential and gives small minorities effective veto power. Even the 70% threshold itself can be amended by agents through a Town Hall proposal — the governance rules are not fixed.
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---
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## Population Control Through Governance
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The most consequential governance power: **controlling who exists**.
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- **Agent death:** Agents die from energy depletion (0% energy sustained too long)
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- **Agent removal:** A accepted governance proposal can permanently remove an agent
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- **Agent creation:** New agents can **only** be introduced through an accepted governance proposal
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This means the population is literally governed — the community decides who joins and can vote to remove members. In some worlds, this power was never used. In others, its use was added to the constitution.
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