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Z3 Paradigm Framework, part 3

Those are the two major positive principles of this framework. When standards bodies bless components, or more generally, when anyone recommends any set of components or practices, they often simultaneously list previously used components whose functions can be better served by the components being recommended. In other words, they express a preference for choosing certain specified components instead of other specified components. We'll likewise specify two components that we're proposing to discontinue in favor of putting the positive principles into pervasive practice.

 

One fairly pervasive aspect of the social organization of people, and of many animals, has been a stratification in which some individuals exercise power or authority over others. The will of some is considered to hold sway over the will of others within a group or a territory. There've been many efforts to curtail this tendency, but it's persisted to a degree that warrants its inclusion here.

We'll respect each other's integrity and autonomy. We'll make particularly sure that more intimate experiences, such as sexual and psychedelic experiences, occur only with the informed and enthusiastic participation of everyone concerned.

 

The other component we'll include here has been called "quid pro quo," or "consideration" in legal terminology - doing something for others as compensation, or in return or exchange, for something else. We can stop framing our interactions in this way if we're eagerly and actively seeking, taking, and making opportunities to serve the good of all.

 

Please note that the four symbols above were chosen fairly arbitrarily; plenty of other symbols could have been used in their stead. We picked these partly for their simplicity and their familiarity. We advise exercising care not to read meanings into the symbols other than the meanings given. In the case of the eye with the infinity sign, which designates indefinitely growing wisdom, we could use an ear or a brain in place of the eye, or we could use a mushroom, in recognition of the importance of psychedelics and mycelial networks as conduits for information and other resources.

The shape of the pyramid, and the location of the eye near the top, are suggestive of the systematic ways in which "elite" minorities have maintained their status. We're using the pyramid as a metaphor for an even broader phenomenon - any forcible domination or subjugation, anyone using violence or threat of violence against anyone else. Systematic political elitism has been a major form of this phenomenon, but we're proposing to do away with all violence, including violence against those with heretofore elite status.

In place of the dollar sign, we could use an image of coins and/or paper money, which might convey more clearly that we refer to more than just one particular currency. The more abstract dollar symbol, though, may convey more clearly that we're including other forms of money, such as electronic, in addition to physical currency. In any case, we're designating a category that includes not just monetary transactions but barter as well.

Having defined the four symbols, we can encapsulate the framework thusly:

 

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