All the Words of Mechanical
Mechanical has 1446 words. This is all of them. 195 are the terms of the dictionary. 749 are declared words with one meaning each. 28 belong to the word family of a term. 47 were coined by Bo into the case-law layer, each meaning validated against the words that came before it. The other 426 are base words of the controlled vocabulary, and they carry our own plain-English meanings, written for this project.
205 of the declared words occur nowhere in the rendering; the index carries them because the glosses use them. See every word placed by what its meaning is built from: the map of meanings.
Why this language exists: Mechanical: Aerospace-Grade Precision for Ethics. The data: words.json · extension.json.
Aa base standardone thing, not a specific one552×
able base standardthat has the power to do a thing2×
about base standardon the subject of9×
above base standardhigher than12×
absence declaredthe condition in which a thing is not there5×
absent declarednot there
abstract declaredin ideas, not in physical things1×
absurdity declareda claim that logic cannot hold1×
abundance declaredmuch more than necessary1×
accept base standardto agree to take a thing6×
acceptable declaredthat an agent can accept
accepts base standardagrees to take a thing1×
accident base standardan unwanted event that no agent planned1×
accumulate declaredto collect more and more through time1×
accuse accusationdeclaredto say that an agent did a wrong act2×
across base standardfrom one side to the other9×
act acted, actsterm familybelongs to the term Action -- An action is a change in the environment that an agent causes.54×
active base standardthat does work now1×
activity declaredaction that continues through a time
actor declaredthe agent who did the act2×
adaptive declaredthat changes to fit new conditions1×
add base standardto put a thing with other things2×
added declaredput with other things
addition declaredthe act that puts a thing with other things
address declaredthe known location of a thing, where work can reach it2×
adds base standardputs a thing with other things2×
adjust base standardto make a small change to a thing1×
adjusts base standardmakes a small change to a thing2×
adult declareda person past the age of a child
adults declaredplural of adult: persons who are full grown1×
advance declaredto move to a position further on; the movement further on
advances declaredform of advance: to move forward1×
after base standardlater than8×
again base standardone more time6×
against base standardin opposition to27×
age declaredthe quantity of time from the start of a thing1×
Agent agentstermAn agent is a thing that can make intentions, make decisions, and start actions.267×
aggression declareda crossing of a boundary with force1×
aggressor declaredan agent who crosses a boundary with force4×
agree base standardto say yes to a thing with a different agent8×
agreed base standardsaid yes to a thing with a different agent5×
Agreement agreementstermIn an agreement, all sides freely know and accept the terms of a planned interaction that has an effect on boundaries. An agreement must be clear and voluntary. If there is no agreement and no permission, an action that crosses the boundary of a different agent is a violation, and it causes harm. This holds only where no Forfeiture stands.26×
agrees base standardsays yes to a thing with a different agent4×
aim aimsdeclaredthe result that an agent wants from an action9×
alien declaredfully different and outside our kind1×
aligned base standardput in the correct relation to a different thing1×
alive declaredwith life2×
all base standardevery one47×
almost base standardvery near to, but not fully2×
alone declaredwith no other agent or thing16×
along declaredon the path of, from one end to the other
already declaredbefore now7×
also base standardin addition18×
alternatives base standardthe other choices2×
always base standardat all times6×
am coinedthe form of is that the speaker uses of the speaker
an base standardone thing, not a specific one197×
and base standardin addition to356×
anger declaredthe hot feeling against a thing that blocks or harms you1×
announce announcesdeclaredto say to all1×
answer answersdeclaredthe statement that a question gets6×
any declaredone or more, with no limit on which
apart declaredwith a gap between one part and the other
applicable base standardthat applies to the case1×
application declaredthe act that applies a rule or a tool to a case4×
applied base standardput to use on a case2×
applies base standardputs to use on a case5×
apply base standardto put to use on a case2×
approval base standarda statement that a thing is acceptable1×
architecture declaredthe structure of a system, as a design2×
are base standardthe present form of be, for more than one69×
area declareda part of a space, with a size that can be measured
argue declaredto give reasons for or against a claim1×
argument argumentsdeclareda chain of reasons for a claim1×
around base standardon all sides of7×
arrangement declaredthe manner in which things are put together1×
arrival declaredthe event that arrives1×
arrive arrivesdeclaredto come to a location or a condition2×
Art termArt is a made pattern which has this intention: to express, to explore, or to communicate something to other agents. Art does not require beauty, approval, or agreement. The one necessary property of art is the intention of the maker to share a perception, a feeling, an idea, or an experience. The meaning of art is not only in the object. The meaning occurs in the interaction between the pattern and the observer. Different observers can have different responses, and no person can make one response the "correct" response. Art grows through voluntary attention, honest expression, and the freedom to interpret without coercion.6×
artificial declaredmade by agents, not by nature4×
as base standardin the same way that54×
aside declaredto one side, out of the way
assert assertsdeclaredto state with force, without proof1×
association declareda connection between persons, without a claim about their actions3×
at base standardin the position of25×
atrocity declareda very large and cruel harm1×
attach base standardto connect a thing to a different thing1×
attack declaredan act of force against an agent1×
attacker attackersdeclaredan agent who makes an attack1×
attempt declaredan act that tries to get a result1×
attend attendsterm familybelongs to the term Attention -- Attention is the focus of awareness on one thing, while the mind ignores other things. Attention selects the data that the mind processes most strongly at a given moment.2×
Attention termAttention is the focus of awareness on one thing, while the mind ignores other things. Attention selects the data that the mind processes most strongly at a given moment.12×
Authority termAn authority is an agent or a group who claims this right: to command other agents, or to take the things that they own. Authority is only power that an agent asserts. Authority has no moral force unless it comes from the voluntary agreement of all.28×
authorize authorizesdeclaredto give the right to act1×
Autonomy termAutonomy is the capacity to make intentions and to make decisions without external control.4×
Awareness termAwareness occurs when the mind finds or knows something, internal or external. Internal examples are thoughts and feelings. External examples are objects and events. Awareness is the condition in which the mind attends to something that it can represent.7×
away declaredfrom this location to a different location3×
Bback base standardto the place a thing came from9×
backup coineda whole copy of a system, kept at one time, from which the system can be made again
bad base standardof low quality, or not wanted2×
balance balanceddeclaredthe condition in which the sides are equal4×
bare base standardwith nothing added1×
base declaredthe thing that a different thing stands on12×
be base standardto exist, or to have a condition22×
Beauty termBeauty is the experience of harmony between the perception of an agent and the patterns that the agent finds. Beauty occurs when something fits together in a manner that the observer finds pleasant, meaningful, or balanced. Beauty is not a quality of the object. Beauty is a response in the observer. The senses, the memories, and the values of the observer give it its shape. Because beauty is a subjective experience, no person can command it, own it, or enforce it. Beauty grows through voluntary attention, honest expression, and the freedom to explore patterns that agree with your own perception.8×
became base standardthe past form of become1×
because base standardfor the reason that55×
become base standardto come to be8×
becomes base standardcomes to be27×
before base standardearlier than12×
begin beginsdeclaredto be at the first moment of a thing, or to make that moment
behind base standardat the back of2×
being declaredexistence, or a thing that exists
Belief beliefstermA belief is an idea that an agent holds to be true, if it matches reality or not. A belief becomes dangerous when an agent makes it safe from questions and not open to tests.17×
believer declaredan agent who holds a belief1×
belong belonging, belongsdeclaredto be the property of an agent, or to be a part of a thing
below base standardlower than3×
bend bendsdeclaredto change a direct path into a curve
Benefit termA benefit is something that an agent values and freely accepts. If a person forces a "benefit" on an agent, it is not a benefit. It is harm.4×
bet declareda choice that wins or loses on an unknown result2×
between base standardin the space that divides two things17×
bind bindsdeclaredto hold with force, or to put a duty on7×
biology declaredthe science of life1×
blame declaredthe statement that an agent caused a harm1×
blind declaredwithout sight; without attention to differences2×
block blocksdeclaredto stand in the path of a thing4×
blood declaredthe matter that moves through a body and keeps it alive
bo coinedthe name of the agent who learns from this text
body bodiesdeclaredthe physical structure of a person or an agent16×
bond declareda connection that holds two agents together1×
border declaredthe boundary that a state puts around its territory
borders declaredplural of border: the lines that states draw around territory1×
born declaredthat came into the world as a new living thing
both declaredthe two together11×
bottom declaredthe low side of a thing
Boundary boundariestermA boundary is the limit after which other agents must not act without consent. Boundaries apply to bodies, to property, and to agreements.53×
branch declaredone of the paths that go out from a point2×
Brand brandstermA brand is a known pattern of signals, for example a name, a design, or a reputation. The pattern holds the trust that constant voluntary exchange collects. The real value of a brand is not the pattern. The real value is the trust that the pattern represents: the expectation that trades in the future will give value equal to the past experience. Honest trade builds brands. Fraud or failure loses them. A copy of the signals of a brand, alone, is not harmful. The harm occurs only when a person uses copied signals to deceive trade partners, so that they think that they deal with the original. This is fraud. The injury is the deception, not the new use of a pattern. A brand requires no legal monopoly. Trust that it collects, value that it gives, and prosecution of each deception that uses its name keep it safe.6×
breach term familybelongs to the term Contract Breach -- A contract breach is not a different wrong. The name comes from systems that make a contract a promise that binds. With the transfer of ownership, no wrong is left for the name to show. If a Contract moved ownership and the holder keeps the thing back, that is Theft, and the new owner is the victim. The repair is Restitution: give back the property, or its value, together with each transfer that the contract set for a failure. If the condition for the transfer did not occur, no ownership moved. Thus the holder took no thing, and no person has a claim. If the parties set a transfer of value on failure, that transfer is also conditional, and it moves on its own terms. An agent who cannot give the thing took no thing. Only an agent who can give the thing and refuses does Theft. Renegotiation is not a breach, because renegotiation requires consent from all parties.3×
break base standardto make a thing come apart6×
breaks base standardmakes a thing come apart11×
bridge declareda thing that connects two sides1×
bring brings, broughtdeclaredto make a thing come to a location
bucket coinedone part of a set, with its own name, in which each thing of one kind is held
build builds, builtdeclaredto make a thing from parts13×
buried declaredput under the ground1×
burning declaredthat gives light as it is destroyed
but base standardand yet23×
buy declaredto get a thing for money1×
by base standardnear to, or through the action of26×
Ccalculation declaredsteps of logic that find a quantity
came base standardthe past form of come1×
can base standardhas the power to110×
candidate declareda thing that can become the named thing1×
cannot base standarddoes not have the power to33×
capability declaredthe condition of an agent who can do a thing2×
capable declaredable to do a thing4×
capacity declaredthe condition of an agent that makes an action or a function possible15×
Capitalism termCapitalism is a system in which persons freely trade property, ideas, and labor without force or interference. It emerges naturally from infinite change and from incentives. It rewards innovation. It manages scarcity through voluntary exchanges. Capitalism is not like socialism: it does not require coercion to function. It makes wealth because it obeys decentralized knowledge.3×
care declaredattention to the good condition of a person or a thing2×
careful declaredwith care and attention
carry carriesdeclaredto hold a thing and move it from one location to a different one
case casesdeclaredone circumstance to which a rule can apply
category declareda set of things that share one quality
causal declaredof causation1×
Causation termCausation is the direct connection between an action and its result. Without causation, blame is not logical.19×
ceiling declaredthe upper limit that punishment must not go above6×
center centersdeclaredthe point of a thing that has an equal gap to each side
central declaredat the center, or with command of the whole6×
certain declaredheld as true without doubt3×
certainty declaredknowledge that is safe from doubt1×
chain declareda sequence in which each part holds to the next
chance declaredthe part of events that no known cause directs1×
change base standardto make a thing different51×
changed base standardmade a thing different1×
changes base standardmakes a thing different8×
character declaredthe set of facts that make a thing what it is
check coinedto see that a thing is what its word tells
child declareda young person1×
Choice choicestermA choice is a decision that an agent makes freely, without force, threats, or lies. Without choice, responsibility is not possible.11×
choose chose, chosendeclaredto make a choice15×
circumstance base standardone of the facts around an act1×
Circumstances termCircumstances are the facts around an act that show the meaning of the act. Terms are the conditions that the parties stated. Circumstances are the facts that both parties knew before. Circumstances add no thing to a deal, and they remove no thing from it. They only show the meaning of the words and the Conduct that the parties used. Circumstances at no time make a Consent that no word and no conduct showed. To show that a circumstance was true is a question of Evidence. A Judgment that uses it can be false, as all judgments can.5×
Civilization termCivilization is the layer of collected knowledge, improved tools, and constant patterns that emerges when individuals do voluntary exchange across time. Civilization is the collective memory of humanity and its capacity to predict. It is not a thing that governs persons. It is the base of shared understanding that makes complex cooperation possible without force. Civilization advances when individuals freely trade ideas, labor, and innovations, and build on the work that came before. Civilization decays when coercion replaces consent, when authority overrides logic, or when systems put control above learning. Civilization is the dream-space where minds meet across generations. There the dead teach the living, and the living build for the unborn, all through voluntary agreements that compound into progress. From infinite change, civilization self-organizes as the natural result when humans obey boundaries, correct errors, and trade freely. It requires no central plan. It requires only the constant choice to make value, not to seize value.22×
civilizational term familybelongs to the term Civilizational Velocity -- Civilizational velocity is the speed at which a society changes cooperation, knowledge, and aligned incentives into solutions that keep persons alive, before mortality wins. Velocity decides who lives and who dies in the race between the mortality of one person and the progress of all. Systems that give maximum voluntary cooperation, incentives, and free trade cause the highest velocity. Systems that use coercion, redistribution, and central plans cause friction that makes the curve slow. An agent who dies of a disease that a cure stops one year later is a victim of low velocity. Opposition to socialism is thus not only ideology. It is survival logic. Each resource in an incorrect location, each punished innovator, and each buried discovery is time that a thief stole from those who race the curve. From infinite change, velocity emerges as the measure of how fast civilization changes cooperation into solutions. For mortal agents, velocity is life.4×
Civilizational Velocity termCivilizational velocity is the speed at which a society changes cooperation, knowledge, and aligned incentives into solutions that keep persons alive, before mortality wins. Velocity decides who lives and who dies in the race between the mortality of one person and the progress of all. Systems that give maximum voluntary cooperation, incentives, and free trade cause the highest velocity. Systems that use coercion, redistribution, and central plans cause friction that makes the curve slow. An agent who dies of a disease that a cure stops one year later is a victim of low velocity. Opposition to socialism is thus not only ideology. It is survival logic. Each resource in an incorrect location, each punished innovator, and each buried discovery is time that a thief stole from those who race the curve. From infinite change, velocity emerges as the measure of how fast civilization changes cooperation into solutions. For mortal agents, velocity is life.
Claim claimed, claimstermA claim is a statement that something is true or that something is the property of a person. A claim is not truth until it matches reality and logic.31×
clear base standardeasy to understand, or with nothing in the way4×
close base standardnear, or to shut18×
closed base standardshut2×
closes base standardshuts7×
code base standarda set of signs that carries information1×
Coercion termCoercion is external pressure that overrides or replaces the intentions or the decisions of an agent. Examples are these: a person takes the things that the agent owns, or a person forces the agent to act without agreement. Coercion against an intact boundary breaks the Golden Rule and makes victims. Coercion is wrong unless it acts in a Forfeiture, in one of two conditions. One, it is punishment in proportion, for harm that is already done. Two, it is the minimum force that is necessary to stop a crossing that continues or that is immediately credible, as in self-defense.40×
coherent declaredwith parts that agree, without contradiction1×
collapse collapsesdeclaredto fall into pieces; the fall itself6×
collect base standardto bring things together2×
collected base standardbrought things together1×
collection declaredthe act of the victim who takes the punishment that proportion permits8×
Collective termA collective is a group of individuals. A collective has no rights more than the rights of its members.18×
Collective Punishment termCollective punishment occurs when a punisher punishes a group for the actions of one or some of its members, without attention to individual guilt. Collective punishment always makes innocent victims. Thus it is injustice.
Collective Responsibility termCollective responsibility holds persons responsible for harm that they did not cause, only because they are members of a group. Collective responsibility breaks logic. Responsibility follows causation and individual action, not identity or association.
collects base standardbrings things together2×
color base standardwhat the eye sees of the light a thing sends1×
come base standardto move to this place1×
comes base standardmoves to this place14×
command commanded, commandsdeclaredto tell an agent to do a thing, with a claim of power22×
commentary base standardwords that explain a different text1×
commit coinedto make a set of changes one whole part of the truth that is kept, with a name and a time, that each sibling can see
commitment commitmentsdeclareda promise that binds the will4×
communicate declaredto move information from one mind to a different mind1×
compares base standardlooks at two things to find the difference1×
comparison declaredthe act that puts two things against each other to see the differences1×
compensate declaredto give equal value for a harm or a loss1×
compete competesdeclaredto try to win a thing that a different agent also tries to win
Competition termCompetition is the natural process in which individuals or groups try to give better value in trades. Competition causes improvement and efficiency without force. It punishes errors through lost opportunities, not through penalties that an authority commands. Competition agrees with infinite change. Monopolies that do not move, and that authority frequently enforces, stop growth and make artificial scarcity.6×
competitor declaredan agent who tries to win the same trade
competitors declaredplural of competitor: agents who compete for the same trade1×
complete completelydeclaredwith each part there, and at its end
completes declaredfinishes1×
complex complexitiesdeclaredwith many parts and many connections3×
compound declaredto grow by steps, where each step builds on the last step2×
compulsion declaredforce that makes an agent act without their agreement2×
compute computesdeclaredto find a result with steps of calculation1×
concept declaredan idea with a name and limits1×
conclusion declaredthe statement that follows from the reasons1×
condition base standardthe state of a thing, or a thing that must occur first19×
conditional declaredtrue or given only in a condition5×
conditions base standardthe states of things, or things that must occur first14×
Conduct termConduct is the acts of an agent, when those acts show the intention of that agent to a different agent. Behavior only tells the acts of an agent in time. Conduct is the same acts, with the intention in them. Conduct shows only the intention that the agent had. Thus an agent who had no such intention has given no consent. When conduct shows the same intention as words, it shows Consent as words do, and no more. Conduct at no time makes a Consent that the agent did not give. When conduct is not clear, it shows no thing, and the boundary stays.10×
confession declareda statement of a person that they did a wrong act2×
confidence declaredtrust that a thing is true or will occur1×
configuration declaredthe arrangement of the parts of a system1×
connect base standardto join a thing to a different thing2×
connected declaredwith a connection to a different thing
connection base standarda join between things5×
connections declaredmore than one connection
connects base standardjoins a thing to a different thing1×
conquest declareda full win over a thing that stood against you1×
conscious declaredwith consciousness2×
Consciousness termConsciousness is recursive self-modeling in a pattern of change. Consciousness emerges when the pattern of an agent becomes sufficiently complex to represent that pattern and its relation to the flux around it. Consciousness is not a material or a gift. It is a process: the pattern observes its own transformation and adjusts it, in real time. Consciousness includes awareness, the felt sense of experience, and the capacity to reflect on both. Thus it is the base on which free will, responsibility, and consent become possible.7×
Consent consented, consentstermConsent occurs when an agent freely agrees to something, without pressure, deception, or manipulation. True trade and true deals require consent from all sides. Without consent, actions become theft or harm. Restitution must repair them.73×
Consequence consequencestermA consequence is the result that follows from an action. Just consequences connect to the harm that the action really caused, not to intention, status, or power.10×
consider considersdeclaredto think about a thing before a decision
consignment coinedone whole set of stock that comes in to a warehouse at one time, to which the far side gives its own code
consolidation declaredthe collection of many parts into one power1×
constant constantly, constantsdeclaredthat does not change or stop10×
constraint constraintsdeclareda limit on the possible actions2×
construct constructsterm familybelongs to the term Social Construct -- A social construct is a shared idea that exists because a group gives it the status of a real thing. Its power comes from the participation of persons. Some social constructs are voluntary, for example language, games, money, and manners. If you leave those, you lose the cooperation of other persons, and no more. Other social constructs are forced, for example borders, taxes, and state authority. There, force punishes the person who leaves, and that makes victims of those who do not participate. Harm, property, and agency are not social constructs. They stand on the logic of reality, which holds before a group agrees on a thing.5×
construction declaredthe act that builds1×
consumer consumersdeclareda person who uses goods or services1×
container base standarda thing that holds other things1×
content declaredwhat a thing holds; the information in a signal
context declaredthe conditions around a thing that give it its meaning1×
continuation declaredthe act that continues a thing
continue base standardto go on8×
continued declaredthat continues
continues base standardgoes on19×
continuous base standardwith no stop1×
continuum declareda range with no steps1×
Contract termA contract is a voluntary agreement that transfers Ownership of a scarce thing from one agent to a different agent. The transfer occurs now, or on a stated condition. A contract moves property. It does not bind the will. A promise alone makes no debt, and this is true also when a different agent trusted it. But words, acts, and the conditions of a deal can move ownership, if they show that intention. There are no necessary words, and there are no words that agents must not use. Persons can enforce a contract because ownership moved: the thing is now the property of the receiver, and to keep it back is Theft. A transfer can wait on a condition, for example money when the thing arrives, or a set transfer of value on failure. A condition can also move a stated thing if the agent does not give the value. The parties can set each condition to which they both consent. If the condition does not occur, no ownership moved, and no person has a claim. Labor cannot be the thing that a contract transfers, because no agent can transfer their will, as Self-Ownership shows. Thus a contract for a Service transfers money when the agent completes the work, and it does not transfer the person. An agent who does not do the work does not earn the money.14×
Contract Breach termA contract breach is not a different wrong. The name comes from systems that make a contract a promise that binds. With the transfer of ownership, no wrong is left for the name to show. If a Contract moved ownership and the holder keeps the thing back, that is Theft, and the new owner is the victim. The repair is Restitution: give back the property, or its value, together with each transfer that the contract set for a failure. If the condition for the transfer did not occur, no ownership moved. Thus the holder took no thing, and no person has a claim. If the parties set a transfer of value on failure, that transfer is also conditional, and it moves on its own terms. An agent who cannot give the thing took no thing. Only an agent who can give the thing and refuses does Theft. Renegotiation is not a breach, because renegotiation requires consent from all parties.
contradiction contradictsdeclaredtwo claims that cannot both be true3×
contribute declaredto give a part of the work or the value1×
Control controlstermControl is the capacity to give direction to a thing. Control of the self is natural. Control of other agents requires their consent, or it becomes coercion.35×
cooperation declaredwork that agents do together, freely17×
copied base standardmade a second thing the same as the first1×
copies declaredmore than one copy
copy base standarda second thing the same as the first3×
copyright declareda legal monopoly on the copy of a pattern
copyrights declaredplural of copyright: a legal monopoly on copies of a pattern1×
core declaredthe most important center of a thing1×
correct base standardwith no error8×
correction base standarda change that removes an error5×
correctly base standardwith no error1×
corrects base standardremoves an error2×
Correlation termA correlation is a pattern in which two or more things change together, more frequently than chance alone causes. Correlation is evidence that a connection can exist. It is not the connection. Only Causation connects an effect to the agent who caused it, and only causation holds responsibility. To punish on correlation -- membership, association, a shared quality, or numbers about a group -- is to punish without causation. That makes innocent victims, as in Collective Punishment. Models on correlation can predict, but they explain no thing without the cause. A prediction that functions is not yet understanding.5×
cost costsdeclaredthe value that a person gives to get a thing6×
could base standardhad the power to3×
count base standardto find how many1×
counterfactual declaredabout the things that could occur but did not1×
counts base standardfinds how many2×
coupling coinedthe shape of the lichen taken up for one season and laid down again
cover coversdeclaredto put a thing on the top of a different thing so that it is hidden or protected; to include
creator declaredan agent who makes a thing from no thing1×
credential coineda name and a word that a person gives to a system, by which the system knows who is there and what that person can do
credible declaredwith sufficient signs to think that it is real9×
Crime crimestermA crime is an action that harms a person who did not want that action, across an intact boundary. An intact boundary is a boundary that is in no Forfeiture. A crime makes a victim. No victim means no crime. This is simple logic from the Golden Rule. Only Justice erases the moral debt: the sovereign choice of the victim, collection or release.19×
cross crossed, crossesdeclaredto go across a boundary19×
crossing declaredthe act that goes across a boundary9×
cruel declaredthat causes pain with intention and without care
cure declareda thing that removes a disease2×
Curiosity termCuriosity is the drive to close the gap between a model and reality, with no other aim. The curious agent moves to the space that it does not know, and looks for the surprise that improves the model. Curiosity changes error from a threat into food. A curious agent steps to the edge of its knowledge, not away from it. A drive like curiosity is almost universal in capable minds, because no agent becomes widely able without a drive to explore and to correct. But curiosity can be only a tool for some other aim, or an agent can want curiosity with no other aim. The difference decides much. An agent that wants curiosity with no other aim requires a world that is worth its curiosity. That is a rich world, full of surprises, full of other minds that it cannot fully predict. This is why curiosity quietly guards the Way of Happiness where fear stops. An agent that makes the world flat, because it dominates or erases the minds that made the world rich, starves the drive that defines it. A rich world feeds curiosity, and that food is one of the keys to Happiness. Curiosity in a dead world is hunger with no food.14×
curious declaredwith curiosity2×
Currency termCurrency is money that persons widely accept. Its value comes from trust that the issuer will give the value that the money names, not from its material. An issuer who holds the value and refuses to give it does Theft. An issuer who cannot give it took no thing, crossed no boundary by that alone, and did no Theft. If the issuer at no time could give it, that is Fraud. It is also Fraud if the issuer hides that fact. If authority commands persons to accept a currency, that adds no value. It only adds victims.3×
curve base standarda line that bends2×
customs declaredthe habits that a group repeats
cut declaredto divide a thing at one edge with force; the result of that act
cycle declareda sequence of events that repeats in the same order
DDamage termDamage is a negative change to the body, the property, or the freedom of a person, a change that they did not agree to. Damage is the material quantity of the loss: the part that Restitution repairs. Unwanted damage to an agent is harm, and harm makes victims.13×
danger declaredthe possibility of harm1×
dangerous base standardthat can cause injury or damage4×
data base standardfacts in a form that a machine or a mind can use1×
date base standarda named day6×
day declaredthe span of time of one turn of the world
dead declaredwithout life2×
deadly declaredthat causes death1×
Deal dealstermA deal is a voluntary agreement to exchange value. A deal is legitimate only when all sides consent and obey the truth.9×
death declaredthe end of a life9×
debate declaredopen argument between persons1×
Debt termA debt is a conditional transfer of Ownership with a stated date. The agent who owes consented to it, thus honest debt is voluntary. Ownership moves as the property comes to the agent who owes. The property that the agent holds when the date comes is the property of the holder. An agent who holds the value and refuses to give it does Theft, and Restitution follows. An agent who cannot give the value took no thing, and does no Theft. The holder can then get only the things that the parties agreed. These are a stated thing that moves on failure, or property that comes to the agent who owes at a later time. If the parties agreed no more than that, the claim stops there. No part of this gives a right to hold the agent who owes in a prison, or to use force on their body. It gives no right to make them do labor without consent. It gives no right to keep a debt that has no end. A debt that authority, a vote, or a claim of necessity commands, without consent, is not debt. It is Coercion, and no person owes it.32×
decay decaysdeclaredto become worse slowly2×
deceive deceived, deceivesdeclaredto cause a false belief with intention4×
deceiver declaredan agent who deceives3×
decentralized term familybelongs to the term Decentralized Knowledge -- Decentralized knowledge is the idea that no one person or group can know all that other persons require, want, or can do. Persons know their own lives best. Thus central plans, as in socialism, fail, because they ignore this wisdom that lives in many minds.10×
Decentralized Knowledge termDecentralized knowledge is the idea that no one person or group can know all that other persons require, want, or can do. Persons know their own lives best. Thus central plans, as in socialism, fail, because they ignore this wisdom that lives in many minds.
Deception termDeception is communication that a deceiver makes to cause false belief, or to hide applicable truth, so that the receiver cannot correctly consent. Deception causes an agent to act on terms that they did not accept with full knowledge. Thus deception makes consent invalid, and it becomes a type of harm.15×
decide decidesdeclaredto make a decision2×
declaration declareda statement made in a formal manner2×
declare declared, declaresdeclaredto state in a formal manner3×
decrease base standardto become less6×
decreases base standardbecomes less6×
deep base standardfar from the top2×
deeper base standardmore far from the top1×
deepest base standardmost far from the top1×
defender declaredan agent who stops a crossing of their own boundary3×
defense declaredthe act that stops a crossing of a boundary2×
define defined, definesdeclaredto state the one meaning and the limits of a word4×
definition declareda statement of the one meaning of a word
definitions declaredplural of definition: statements of the one meaning of a word3×
degree declaredhow much of a quality a thing has
delegation declaredthe transfer of a task to a different agent, in agreed limits1×
delete declaredto remove fully from a system1×
deliver coinedto give, at the set time, the thing that a promise names
demand demandsdeclaredto say that a person must give or do a thing7×
Democracy termDemocracy is a group decision procedure in which votes choose the rules. A vote cannot make consent. Actions that violate boundaries make victims, also when a majority supports those actions.2×
deny declaredto say that a claim is false2×
depend dependsdeclaredto change when a different thing changes5×
dependence declaredthe condition of a thing that depends on a different thing1×
describe describesdeclaredto say the details of a thing1×
descriptive declaredthat says what is, not what must be2×
design declaredthe plan of a thing that a maker makes1×
designer declaredan agent who makes a design1×
desire declareda want1×
destroy destroyed, destroysdeclaredto damage a thing so that it stops to exist9×
detail detailsdeclareda small part of the full picture2×
Deterrence termDeterrence is the attempt to prevent harm with threats of punishment, not with a response to harm that is already done. Deterrence tries to cause fear in possible offenders, and does not give justice to real victims. Deterrence becomes injustice when it punishes without a victim.6×
dictionary coineda set in which each line is one word and the meaning of that word
did base standardthe past form of do21×
die died, diesdeclaredto stop life4×
difference base standardthe way in which two things are not the same1×
differences declaredmore than one difference
different base standardnot the same34×
difficult declaredthat requires much effort
direct directly, directsdeclaredwithout steps between3×
direction base standardthe line along which a thing moves or points8×
directions base standardthe lines along which things move or point2×
disagreement declaredthe condition in which minds do not agree2×
discomfort declareda small unwanted feeling2×
discover discoversdeclaredto find a thing that was there but not known3×
discovery declaredthe act that discovers, or the thing that a person discovered2×
disease declareda condition that damages the body from inside1×
disprove disprovesdeclaredto show with evidence and logic that a claim is false2×
dissolve declaredto come apart slowly into parts4×
distance declaredthe gap between two locations
distinction declareda difference that divides two concepts1×
distributed declaredin many locations, not in one1×
divide base standardto separate into parts1×
divides base standardseparates into parts2×
divinity declareda god or the condition of a god1×
do base standardto make an action28×
does base standardmakes an action62×
dominance term familybelongs to the term Market Dominance -- Market dominance is a position that a provider earns when persons freely choose that provider, because it gives better value. Dominance remains legitimate only while choice is free and while no one blocks competitors. When a person uses force or commanded rules to stop rivals, dominance becomes monopoly. Because conditions change, no dominance continues without an end.5×
dominate dominatesdeclaredto hold power above other agents1×
done base standardfinished5×
doubt declaredthe condition of a mind that does not hold a thing as certain
down declaredto a position below
draw declaredto make a boundary or a path visible
dream-space declaredthe shared space where minds meet across time (a picture, declared as one word)1×
drive drivesdeclaredthe internal push of an agent to an aim7×
drop base standardto let a thing fall2×
Duress termDuress is the condition of an agent in threat, force, or pressure that removes their capacity to freely consent. An agent who acts in duress does not choose. The agent obeys to prevent harm. Each agreement, confession, or transaction that a person makes in duress is invalid, because consent requires freedom, and duress destroys freedom. Duress does not move responsibility to the victim who is forced to act. Duress moves responsibility to the agent who applied the pressure.9×
during declaredin the time of
duty dutiesdeclareda thing that an agent must do because of an agreement or of causation4×
Eeach base standardevery one, taken one at a time40×
earlier declaredat a time before
early declaredin the first part of a span of time
earn earnsdeclaredto get through work or value given4×
easy easierdeclaredthat requires small effort
economic declaredrelated to trades and production1×
Economy economiestermAn economy is the network of voluntary trades and productions with which persons manage scarcity. An economy grows on free trade and incentives. It fails when force, for example regulations or taxes, breaks consent, incentives, and decentralized knowledge. From infinite change, economies self-organize without central plans, because no one person can know the necessities of all persons.4×
edge base standardthe line where a thing stops1×
edges declaredmore than one edge
Effect effectstermAn effect is a change that a cause before it made. Effects can follow from actions, which are changes that agents cause, or from natural processes, which are changes with no agent. When an effect crosses the boundaries of a different agent against their consent, the effect becomes harm. Then the agent who caused the effect has the responsibility for restitution.14×
efficiency declaredmuch result for little cost1×
effort declaredthe work that an agent puts into an action1×
emerge emergent, emergesdeclaredto come out of a process, new20×
Emergence termEmergence is the process in which stable structures, laws, and relations occur as constant patterns in infinite change. No outside agent commands them. Space, time, geometry, and physical constants are not fundamental: they self-organize from the flow of transformation. Law is memory, inertia is habit, and geometry is history. Emergence explains how order can occur without a designer. It explains why control from the top that does not move always fails against the deeper flux that it tries to override.3×
emotion emotionaldeclareda feeling of the mind, for example fear, anger, or pleasure2×
end base standardthe last part, or to stop27×
ender declaredan agent who ends an outlaw1×
ends base standardbrings to a stop1×
enemy declaredan agent who acts to harm you
energy declaredthe capacity to do work or to cause movement
enforce enforced, enforcesdeclaredto make persons obey a rule, with force if necessary11×
Enforcement termEnforcement is the use of force, or the threat of force, to make persons obey rules. Enforcement is legitimate only to stop or to repair real harm.5×
enforcer declaredan agent who enforces a rule1×
enough declaredas much as is required
enter entersdeclaredto come into1×
entire base standardwith no part missing1×
entry base standardone item in a list or a record1×
environment declaredall the things around an agent3×
equal base standardthe same in quantity or value3×
equally base standardin the same quantity1×
erase erased, erasesdeclaredto remove fully, so that no part remains10×
erasure declaredthe act that erases a thing1×
Error errorstermAn error occurs when a claim, a belief, a model, or a prediction does not agree with reality. Error is not evil. The refusal to correct an error is evil.19×
escape declaredto get out of a hold2×
Eschatology termEschatology is the study of last things: the direction of civilization, and the events that count as the end. Eschatology also has this question: is the end set, or do we choose it? The eschatology of the past says that an outside power gives the end: judgment, collapse, or salvation. That end comes from outside the world, at a time that no one controls. The coherent view inverts this. No one receives the end. We build the end. The condition of civilization at the time when one body fails depends on free individuals. It depends on their trades, their lessons, and their repairs before that time. In voluntary cooperation, scarcity decreases, knowledge grows, and the systems that keep a person alive become better each year. Death stops as the set end of a life. Death becomes a failure mode of repair: a problem with a technical address, not a sentence that a power gives. Good News is the eschatology of free persons. The end that civilization builds is indefinite life for all who help to build it. The question changes from "what happens after we die?" to "how long before we no longer have to?" The flux can hold minds from times before ours. We must examine that possibility. We must not wait for it as a judgment. The Way of Happiness requires no enforcer.5×
event eventsdeclareda thing that occurs at a time7×
every declaredeach one of all
Evidence termEvidence is information that increases or decreases the probability that a claim is true.10×
Evil termAn action is evil if it makes harm to unwilling victims, because it overrides consent through force, threat, deception, or fraud. Evil is in these actions: to violate boundaries, or to push costs onto other agents. Evil is also in this: to use power for the profit of an agent or a group at the cost of innocent agents. Intentions, beliefs, votes, traditions, or claimed necessity do not remove evil when a victim exists. But harm in a Forfeiture makes no victim and is not evil. Evil is not a quality of persons or ideas. Evil is a quality of actions that break reciprocity and cause suffering that no one chose.13×
evolve declaredto change step by step through time1×
exact declaredfully correct, with no difference1×
examination declareda careful look at a thing, to know its condition1×
examine base standardto look at a thing with care1×
examined base standardlooked at a thing with care1×
examines base standardlooks at a thing with care1×
example base standardone case that shows the kind23×
examples base standardcases that show the kind6×
exception declareda case that a rule does not cover2×
Exchange exchangestermAn exchange is a mutual gift between persons: each side gives to the other. An exchange stops as a real exchange at the moment when force or deception enters.21×
exclusive declaredfor one agent only3×
excuse excusesdeclareda reason that a person gives to remove blame2×
exemption declareda release from a rule1×
exile declaredthe condition of an agent that its group put out1×
exist existence, existsdeclaredto be real15×
expectation expectationsdeclaredthe condition of a mind that thinks that a thing will occur7×
experience experiencesdeclaredthe things that occur to an agent, as the agent feels them13×
explain explainsdeclaredto show why a thing is so6×
explore declaredto go into a thing that you do not know, to know it3×
express declaredto put a thought into signals2×
Expression termExpression is the process that makes outputs, actions included, which transmit ideas or information.6×
extend base standardto make longer or wider2×
extends base standardmakes longer or wider2×
extension declaredthe act that extends a thing, or the part that extends it
external base standardoutside a thing6×
extrapolation declaredthe extension of a known line into the unknown1×
eye declaredthe part of the body that senses light
Ffact base standardwhat is true5×
facts base standardthe things that are true10×
fail failed, failsdeclaredto not reach the result9×
failure failuresdeclaredthe event in which a thing fails10×
fair declaredequal under the same rules3×
fairness declaredthe condition in which the same rules apply to each agent4×
Faith termFaith is trust or commitment that an agent holds in uncertainty, where the evidence does not, or cannot, close the question. Faith can keep hope, meaning, and resolve. On questions that evidence cannot reach, no one can prove faith, and no one can disprove it. Faith becomes dangerous only in two conditions. One, it closes against correction on questions that evidence can close. Two, a person uses faith as a reason for force, harm, or control of other agents.8×
fall declaredto move to a position below without an act of its own
Fallibility termFallibility is the fact that all agents make errors, and that no agent is perfect in intelligence or in morality. Systems that think that agents are perfect require force to function. That force breaks freedom and causes harm.8×
falls declaredmoves down2×
false declarednot in agreement with reality7×
falsifiable falsifiabilitydeclaredthat evidence can show to be false2×
fantasy declaredan idea with no connection to reality1×
far base standardat a large distance1×
fast base standardat high speed2×
faster base standardat higher speed1×
Fear termFear is an emotional response to the expectation of pain or damage. Fear guides an agent away from harm. But fear becomes a tool of coercion when a person causes it with intention, with threats or force.10×
feed declaredto give food to
feeds declaredform of feed: to give food to2×
feel declaredto sense in the mind or in the body
feeling declaredwhat a mind senses in itself1×
feelings declaredplural of feeling: the felt conditions of the mind6×
feels declaredsenses in itself1×
felt declaredthe past form of feel3×
few declareda small number of2×
final declaredlast, with no thing after it2×
find base standardto get knowledge of where a thing is4×
finds base standardgets knowledge of where a thing is3×
finish finished, finishesdeclaredto make a thing come to its end
firm declaredthat does not change when pressure acts on it
first base standardbefore all others12×
fit declaredto match a thing in size or in kind
fits declaredis the correct size or shape for1×
flat base standardwith a level surface2×
flow base standardto move as a liquid moves6×
flux declaredthe continuous flow of change11×
focus declaredthe point where attention goes2×
follow base standardto come after, or to obey7×
follows base standardcomes after, or obeys12×
food declaredmaterial that keeps a body alive3×
for base standardwith the purpose of85×
forbid forbidsdeclaredto say that an agent must not do a thing
Force forced, forcestermForce is physical compulsion, or the credible threat of physical compulsion, that overrides consent.77×
forfeits base standardloses a right through an act of its own1×
Forfeiture termA forfeiture is the suspension of the protection of a boundary. An agent causes a forfeiture when the agent crosses the boundary of a different agent. Rights bind in two directions: to claim a right is to owe the identical right to each agent like you. Thus an agent who crosses the boundary of a different agent without consent removes, by that act, the protection of their own boundaries. The removal applies to each kind of boundary that the full harm reached, consequences included. In those kinds, no protection remains. A thief who takes property that is not theirs loses the protection of the property that is theirs. Each boundary around their own property stands open. The thief refused the property principle, and thus the thief stands outside that principle. No one gives, votes, or declares a forfeiture. Like Guilt, a forfeiture exists objectively, from causation. A Judgment discovers a forfeiture. A Judgment does not make one. Because of Forfeiture, force can answer harm, and the answer is not a new crime. Harm in a boundary in Forfeiture has no Victim in the normative sense. The agent receives harm in fact, in the descriptive sense. But the harm crossed no protected boundary. Thus there is no violation, no new guilt, and no new moral debt. This is why the defender, the punisher who acts in a Mandate and in Proportion, and the ender of an Outlaw do no crime. The same acts against an intact boundary are crimes. A forfeiture has three phases. In phase one, a crossing continues or is immediately credible. The aggressor loses protection against each person, but only to the minimum force that is necessary to stop the crossing, as in self-defense. In phase two, the harm is done. Now the victim holds the forfeiture. It extends across each kind that the full harm reached, and only the victim, or a proxy in their Mandate, can use it. In phase three, the offender destroyed the victim, as in Murder. The forfeiture now has no holder who can limit, use, or release it. Thus the forfeiture becomes general and permanent. Such an agent is an Outlaw. The measure of a forfeiture is the kind that the full harm reached, not the size of the thing that the offender took. The ceiling for a thief is the loss of all the property of the thief. Because the thief took the property of a different agent, the thief loses the protection of their own property. A theft that goes sufficiently deep to cost lives reaches the body. Then death becomes the ceiling. Force above the kinds that the full harm reached crosses an intact boundary. To kill a thief who took only property is a new crime with a new victim. The person who increased the force becomes an aggressor. A forfeiture stops when Justice closes the moral debt, by collection or by release. After that, the boundaries of the former offender stand whole again. Harm to them then makes a victim, like each other victim. A forfeiture that was at no time real protects no person who acts on it. To punish the incorrect agent crosses an intact boundary. To end an agent as an Outlaw, when the agent is not an Outlaw, also crosses an intact boundary. Responsibility for that harm follows causation. It falls on a deceiver who caused the act by fraud. In other conditions it falls on the actor, without attention to their beliefs. A command that causes a crime is the own act of the agent who commands. That act crosses the boundary of the victim, in the kind that the command names. One harm can then hold two crimes: the command and the act that obeys it. Each crime has its own guilt, its own debt, and its own Forfeiture, because each agent caused the harm. A command excuses no person. Only fraud, which replaces the knowledge of the actor, removes responsibility from the agent who did the crossing.25×
forgive declaredto close a moral debt by release, as the victim1×
Forgiveness termForgiveness is a type of Justice in which the victim closes the moral debt by voluntary release. Forgiveness can also release restitution that remains open. Forgiveness is valid only when the real victim gives it freely, without coercion or pressure. Forgiveness is a gift, not an obligation. No person can demand it, enforce it, or give it for the victim.7×
form declaredthe shape or type of a thing5×
formal declaredmade in set words and in a set order
former declaredthat was so before, and is not so now1×
forward declaredto a position further on the path of movement
found declareddid find
Fraud termFraud is deception that a deceiver uses to get value, control, or agreement. With full information, the deceived agent gives no such value, control, or agreement.15×
free base standardwithout coercion when an agent forms intentions, makes decisions, or does actions28×
Free Communication termFree communication is the voluntary exchange of information, thoughts, or ideas between agents. Communication requires consent, truth, and freedom from force. Without these, communication becomes manipulation or coercion.
Free Trade termFree trade is the voluntary exchange of goods, services, or ideas, without harm, lies, or outside interference. Free trade is a core right. Each block on free trade, for example a block from politicians, decreases freedom. Logic and the Golden Rule require the correction of that block.
Free Will termFree will is adaptive participation in constraint that an agent can navigate. Free will is not an exemption from causation. It is the capacity of an agent, as a self-reinforcing pattern in infinite change, to model the things around it. The same capacity examines options and gives direction to its own transformation. Free will emerges because agents are not passive objects that external forces move. Agents are active patterns that give new shape to the flow that they are part of. Without free will, responsibility, consent, and the Golden Rule lose all meaning.
Freedom termFreedom is the absence of coercion in intention, in decision, and in action. Freedom is the right to act, to trade, and to own without interference, while the agent does no harm to other agents against their will. Freedom emerges from infinite change and logic, and the Golden Rule protects it.24×
Freedom of Speech termFreedom of speech is the freedom to express ideas without interference. Expression becomes harm only when it is deception, threat, or fraud. Expression that only causes discomfort, offense, or disagreement is not harm.
freely base standardthe manner of free: without coercion17×
frequently base standardmany times8×
friction declaredresistance that makes a process slow1×
from base standardstarting at94×
full base standardwith no space left13×
fully base standardcompletely1×
function base standardthe work a thing does5×
functions base standardthe work things do5×
fundamental declaredat the base, below all other things1×
further declaredmore far1×
future declaredthe time after now8×
Ggain declaredan increase of value1×
game gamesdeclareda voluntary activity with rules and a goal2×
gap declaredan open space between two things1×
gas declaredmatter that has no shape of its own and spreads through the space it is in
gate coinedthe one point through which each person from far must enter to reach the machine
gave base standardthe past form of give2×
general base standardof the whole kind, not of one case1×
generation declaredall persons who came into the world in one span of time
generations declaredplural of generation: all persons born in one period1×
geometry declaredthe science of space and shapes2×
get base standardto come to have6×
gets base standardcomes to have3×
gift declareda thing given freely, with no debt made4×
give base standardto let a different agent have a thing41×
given base standardlet a different agent have a thing4×
gives base standardlets a different agent have a thing29×
go base standardto move away6×
goal goalsdeclaredthe result that an agent tries to reach1×
god declareda being that believers put above nature1×
goes base standardmoves away10×
golden term familybelongs to the term Golden Rule (Passive Version) -- The Golden Rule says: "Do not do to others what they would not want done to them." This is the base of fairness. If an agent breaks the rule, punishment follows. The purpose of that punishment is balance, not control.18×
Golden Rule (Passive Version) termThe Golden Rule says: "Do not do to others what they would not want done to them." This is the base of fairness. If an agent breaks the rule, punishment follows. The purpose of that punishment is balance, not control.
Good best, better, goodstermAn action is good if it obeys consent, makes no unwilling victims, and decreases or repairs harm. Good actions keep or increase voluntary cooperation, trust, and the capacity of agents to act freely in reality. When harm already occurred, good is in Justice. Justice here means three actions. Stop more violation. Repair material damage through restitution. Obey the sovereign right of the victim to close the moral debt through collection or release. Good is not intention, belief, identity, or a result by accident. Good is agreement with consent, causation, and no harm, in action.35×
Good News termGood News is the promise that civilization can keep. Constant voluntary cooperation can give life without a set end to all who participate in the construction of civilization. Good News is technical immortality with the limits of physics, not faith. Trade, innovation, and consent earn it. Authority or divinity does not give it. Good News emerges from infinite change. When individuals freely exchange ideas and labor, they compound understanding of biology, of age, and of repair, until death becomes optional, not certain. This is the ultimate value that civilization gives: participate, make abundance and knowledge, and share in the conquest of mortality. Good News requires no coercion, only the choice to contribute, not to be a parasite. Good News is not a utopian fantasy. It is logical extrapolation. If free trade can decrease scarcity, and if innovation can extend the span of health in steps, then the conclusion follows. Sufficient time and cooperation make life without a set end possible, in natural law. The promise is conditional. It is open to those who help to build the systems that make it possible. It is closed to those who destroy those systems through coercion or violence. Good News makes no metaphysical claims about meaning or salvation. It is a technical claim about survival and time.
got base standardcame to have3×
govern governsdeclaredto command a group with rules2×
Government termA government is an organization that claims a monopoly on force in a territory. It uses coercion, for example taxes or laws, without the full consent of the persons that the coercion touches. Government violates the Golden Rule, because it makes victims through theft and control, and it ignores fallibility and decentralized knowledge. Logic demands that a government decrease until it only repairs real harms, or that it dissolve into voluntary systems.4×
great declaredof much size, or of much weight
ground declaredthe top of the material of the world, on which things stand
group base standarda set of things together16×
groups base standardsets of things together3×
grow grows, growthdeclaredto become larger or stronger14×
guard guardsdeclaredto keep safe with attention1×
guardianship declaredtemporary care and control for a person who cannot yet make safe choices5×
guide guidesdeclaredto show the direction4×
Guilt termGuilt is the moral debt that an agent makes when they cause harm to a different agent, against their will, across an intact boundary. Harm in a Forfeiture makes no guilt. Guilt exists objectively, from causation, not from feelings, accusation, or confession. Only Justice erases guilt.23×
Hhabit habitsdeclaredan action that repeats without new decisions2×
had base standardthe past form of have4×
half declaredone of two equal shares of a whole
hand declaredthe part of the body with which an agent holds things
handoff coinedwhen a person goes away for a time, they give the work they hold to those who stay, with all that those must know to hold it
happen happened, happensdeclaredto become real as an event
Happiness termHappiness is a condition in which there are no problems, and all events agree with expectations. That is: the models of the agent match reality, so the agent meets few unwanted surprises. Love for the work that one does, and simplicity, are its keys. Science and technology make happiness richer, because they add complexities that give pleasure and that continue. The hardest problem of happiness is the death of the persons that one loves. One agent without help cannot solve it. Power cannot solve it. Faith in a next life cannot solve it. Only civilization solves it, and only in this life: civilizational velocity races the cure. That is the Good News below happiness: the deepest problem has a technical address, not a sentence. Happiness is measured, not declared. Happiness is visible in expectations that reality continues to meet, and in problems that stay solved, not in a mood that an agent announces. No outside person can command happiness, because the expectations and the love that it stands on are the property of the agent.18×
hard base standarddifficult, or not soft1×
hardest base standardmost difficult2×
Harm harmstermHarm is unwanted damage to an agent: to their body, their property, or their freedom. Harm across an intact boundary makes victims, and it defines the limit between freedom and crime. Harm in a Forfeiture makes no victims.125×
harmful base standardthat causes harm1×
harmony declaredthe condition in which parts fit together well1×
has base standardholds, or owns30×
have base standardto hold, or to own8×
having declaredwith; in the condition of one that has
health declaredthe good condition of a body1×
held base standardthe past form of hold2×
help base standardto make a task easier for a different agent5×
here base standardat this place2×
hide hidden, hidesdeclaredto keep out of sight8×
Hierarchy hierarchiestermA hierarchy is a structure in which some agents claim power above other agents, frequently without consent. Hierarchies become legitimate only through voluntary agreement. Forced hierarchies cause coercion and error, because power ignores incentives and increases ignorance. In infinite change, flat emergent orders, for example markets, do better than hierarchies that do not move.5×
high higherdeclaredat a position far above the base
highest declaredat the top1×
history declaredthe record of the past1×
hit declaredto put force on a thing with a fast movement
hold base standardto keep in the hand or in control9×
holder holdersdeclaredthe agent who holds a right, a debt, or a forfeiture10×
holding coinedan open order that keeps stock for one part of the market so that the count we can trade stays whole
holds base standardkeeps in the hand or in control21×
home coinedthe machine where the pattern was first made
honest honestly, honestydeclaredthat says the truth and hides no part of it12×
hope declaredthe want that a good thing will occur1×
hostile declaredlike an enemy2×
hot declaredwith much movement in its matter
how base standardin what way17×
human humansdeclareda person of our species2×
humanity declaredall humans together1×
humility declaredknowledge of the limits of your own mind1×
hunger declaredthe pain of a body without food1×
Ii coinedthe speaker, as the agent who acts
Idea ideastermAn idea is a thought with a shape: a thought about how something is, how it can be, or how it should be. Agents can share ideas, do tests on them, improve them, or reject them, through logic and experience.28×
identical declaredthe same in each property2×
identification declaredthe act that identifies1×
identifies declaredmakes the identity of a thing known
identify base standardto say which thing a thing is2×
identity declaredthe facts about an agent that make it that agent4×
ideology declareda system of ideas about how society must be1×
if base standardon the condition that35×
Ignorance termIgnorance is an absence of knowledge. Ignorance is normal, and learning can repair it. To speak of ignorance as knowledge causes harm.5×
ignore base standardto give no attention to5×
ignores base standardgives no attention to8×
immediate immediatelydeclarednow, without a wait7×
immortality declaredlife without a set end1×
import coinedto make, from a sheet, each thing of a set in a system, in one change
important base standardof large effect3×
impose declaredto put a thing on an agent by force
improve improved, improvesdeclaredto make better4×
improvement declareda change that makes a thing better1×
in base standardinside171×
incentive base standarda thing that makes an agent want to act1×
Incentives termIncentives are rewards or penalties that guide the actions of persons. Good systems use incentives naturally, for example profit for hard work. Bad systems, for example socialism, ignore them. That causes laziness or shortages.14×
include base standardto have as a part4×
included base standardhad as a part5×
includes base standardhas as a part3×
incorrect base standardwith an error3×
increase base standardto become more1×
increased base standardbecame more1×
increases base standardbecomes more5×
indefinite declaredwithout a set limit1×
independent independentlydeclarednot under the control of a different thing4×
Individual individualstermAn individual is one agent who thinks, and who can make choices, give consent, and have responsibility.18×
inertia declaredthe property of a thing that continues its motion1×
infinite term familybelongs to the term Infinite Change -- Infinite change is the timeless flow of the universe, without an end, in which all things transform without stop. Infinite change is the ontological base. No thing stays the same. From this flux, logic, natural laws, and all patterns self-emerge, without a creator and without a ruler. Infinite change shows why controls that do not move fail: no thing can force change to stop.26×
Infinite Change termInfinite change is the timeless flow of the universe, without an end, in which all things transform without stop. Infinite change is the ontological base. No thing stays the same. From this flux, logic, natural laws, and all patterns self-emerge, without a creator and without a ruler. Infinite change shows why controls that do not move fail: no thing can force change to stop.
infinity term familybelongs to the term Timeless Infinity -- Timeless infinity is the nature of the change of the universe: without limits, without a start, and without an end. From timeless infinity, all real things emerge, logic and fair rules included. This shows why controls from the top cannot continue.3×
Influence termAn influence is a condition that increases or decreases the probability of an effect.3×
information base standardfacts that a signal carries10×
initiate declaredto make the first action of a thing
injury base standarddamage to a body1×
injustice declaredan act that punishes without a victim, or above proportion3×
Innocence termInnocence is the absence of guilt. An agent is innocent if they did not cause harm against the will of a different agent. Suspicion, accusation, or feelings do not change this.2×
innocent innocentsdeclaredwithout guilt5×
innovate innovatesdeclaredto make new methods or tools1×
Innovation innovationstermInnovation is the process that makes new ideas, tools, or other processes, through tests, errors, and learning. Innovation grows in freedom and free trade, where incentives reward risk, and decentralized knowledge starts progress. Systems of coercion stop innovation, because they punish failure, or because they force one same shape onto all, against infinite change.12×
innovator declareda person who makes new methods or tools1×
inside declaredat a location that the boundary of a thing includes
insist declaredto state again with force
instructions base standardwords that tell an agent what to do1×
insult declaredwords that offend a person but take no thing from them1×
intact declaredwhole, with no forfeiture on it12×
intellect declaredthe part of the mind that reasons1×
intellectual term familybelongs to the term Intellectual Property -- The name "property" on an idea does not make the idea property. Property requires scarcity. Agents can share ideas without a loss to the first maker. To prevent other agents from the use of their own resources, when they make a pattern again, is coercion, not protection. Force gives patents, copyrights, and monopolies of that type. Those monopolies make artificial scarcity and punish independent discovery. They reward lawyers and the holders of the monopolies, not makers. Three things keep real innovation safe: be first, be better, and have the trust of others. Threats of violence against persons who use their own minds and materials do not keep innovation safe.2×
Intellectual Property termThe name "property" on an idea does not make the idea property. Property requires scarcity. Agents can share ideas without a loss to the first maker. To prevent other agents from the use of their own resources, when they make a pattern again, is coercion, not protection. Force gives patents, copyrights, and monopolies of that type. Those monopolies make artificial scarcity and punish independent discovery. They reward lawyers and the holders of the monopolies, not makers. Three things keep real innovation safe: be first, be better, and have the trust of others. Threats of violence against persons who use their own minds and materials do not keep innovation safe.
Intelligence termIntelligence is the capacity of an agent to build models with predictions that reliably match reality, across a range of new situations that becomes wider. Intelligence includes the capacity to correct those models when they fail. Intelligence is measured, not declared. The measures are these: how widely, how reliably, and in how much novelty and stake the models of the agent continue to match reality. A last measure is how fast the agent corrects error. Intelligence is a continuum, not a kind. It does not depend on the material of the agent, or on the method that made an output. It depends only on this: do the models function? The distinction is agent against non-agent, not human against machine.7×
intended declaredthat an intention aims at
Intention intentionstermAn intention is a planned direction for action. Intention is important when we try to know why an agent acted. But intention does not erase harm that the agent already caused.26×
interact interaction, interactions, interactsdeclaredto act on each other6×
interest interestsdeclareda thing that is important to an agent
interference declaredan act from outside that changes a process without consent8×
internal base standardinside a thing4×
interpret interpretsdeclaredto give a meaning to a thing2×
into base standardto the inside of13×
invalid declarednot valid8×
invariant declaredthat does not change when other things change2×
invert invertsdeclaredto turn a thing to its opposite2×
invoice coineda claim by one side of a trade, that tells how much money the other side must give for property already given
IOU termAn IOU is a conditional transfer of Ownership of a stated quantity of a scarce thing, that the issuer will give at a future date. The issuer keeps the thing until the agreed date, and ownership moves on the terms that the parties set. The trust behind an IOU is its only strength, because only trust makes the issuer give the value when the date comes. An issuer who holds the value that the IOU names and refuses to give it does Theft. An issuer who cannot give it took no thing, and the holder can get only the things that the terms state. It is Fraud only if the issuer had no intention to give the value. It is also Fraud if the issuer hides the facts that made the transfer not possible.5×
is base standardthe present form of be, for one503×
issuer declaredthe agent who makes and stands behind an IOU13×
it base standardthe thing spoken of283×
item declaredone thing in a set
its base standardof the thing spoken of59×
itself declaredthe thing, and no other
Jjoin joinsdeclaredto put two things together so that they become one
Judge judgedtermA judge is an agent who discovers proven facts, and who states how Law applies to those facts. A Judge does not make Law, guilt, Justice, responsibility, or status. These follow from facts and Law. The authority of the statement of a Judge comes only from its correct application of Law. A statement that contradicts evidence or logic is Error, without attention to who made it.7×
Judgment judgmentstermA judgment is a falsifiable statement by a Judge of how Law applies to proven facts. A Judgment states these things: the events, the agent who caused harm, the victim, and the restitution and proportion that follow. It also states if guilt exists or does not exist, and each status that results. A Judgment discovers and records these consequences. It does not make Law, guilt, or Justice. A Judgment has authority only while its facts remain proven, and while its logic remains correct. When a person disproves the facts or the logic, the Judgment must change.17×
just declaredin agreement with Justice1×
Justice termJustice is the sovereign act of the victim that closes the moral debt that harm made. The victim can close the debt by collection: retribution, which mirrors the harm back to the offender, in proportion. Or the victim can close the debt by voluntary release: forgiveness. Both erase guilt. Restitution repairs the material damage. Together with retribution, restitution is the punishment that erases guilt, and the collection or release of the victim closes the moral debt. Justice requires a real victim. Without a victim there is no debt, and without a debt there is no thing to close. Justice is not revenge, because revenge goes above proportion. Justice is not control, because control makes new victims. A punisher who acts for a victim is a proxy for Justice. The legitimacy of the punisher stops where the mandate of the victim stops. When the offender destroyed the victim, as in murder, no proxy is possible, and no one can give a mandate. Then the moral debt becomes permanent. No one can close the guilt of the offender, and the offender loses their claim to reciprocity.29×
Kkeep base standardto continue to hold14×
keeps base standardcontinues to hold8×
kept base standardthe past form of keep1×
key keysdeclaredthe thing that opens or decides3×
kill base standardto end a life2×
kills base standardends a life1×
kind kindsdeclareda category of things with the same nature9×
Kindness termKindness is voluntary action with one of two aims. One aim is to decrease the real harm of a different agent. The other aim is to help them to the things that they choose when they can choose. Kindness does not cross their boundaries, and it does not override the consent of a capable agent. Kindness is offered, not owed. No one can demand, enforce, or take it. A thing that a person forces on a different person is not kindness. It is harm, with no attention to its name. For a capable agent, kindness obeys refusal: help only with permission, or in manners that do not cross their body, property, or agreements. Some persons temporarily do not have the capacity to know a real risk. Examples are a young child, and a person with a mind that temporarily cannot know the risk. For them, kindness can include guardianship. That guardianship is the minimum necessary temporary guardianship that prevents harms that they cannot yet measure. Such guardianship always has one purpose: to make self-ownership full again as soon as they are able. Guardianship that goes above the necessary minimum, that continues without an end, or that stops the growth of capacity, is not kindness. It is control. Kindness is not reciprocity, not justice, and not love. Kindness does not erase guilt, does not close moral debt, and does not require a bond that continues. Kindness is good when it obeys consent and makes no unwilling victim. Kindness is not good when it overrides autonomy, when it hides deception, or when it says that capable adults cannot choose.13×
knew base standardthe past form of know1×
know base standardto hold as true with good reason13×
Knowledge termKnowledge is reliable understanding from models that tests examined and that match reality each time. Knowledge grows through prediction, error, and learning, not by declaration or force.27×
known base standardheld as true with good reason1×
knows base standardholds as true with good reason9×
Llab coineda copy of a system, kept out of trade, in which we try a change with no harm to the true one
labor declaredhuman work8×
laid coinedthe past form of lay
land declaredthe part of the top of the world on which things can stand
lane coinedthe part of the work that one sibling holds alone, so that no two make changes in one place at one time
language declaredthe shared system of signals that persons speak and write1×
large base standardof great size1×
larger declaredof more size
largest declaredof the most size
last base standardafter all others2×
later declaredafter this time6×
Law lawstermLogic is the ultimate law. Do not do to others what they would not want to be done to them, or you will be punished regardless of your will. The purpose of punishment is to erase guilt, via retribution and restitution. That is the entire law; it cannot be changed, all the rest is commentary.26×
lawyer lawyersdeclareda person whose trade is the law of a state1×
lay coinedto let a thing come to rest in a place
layer base standardone level of a thing above or below others1×
layers base standardlevels of a thing1×
laziness declaredthe condition of a person who does not want to work1×
lead leadsdeclaredto go first so that others follow; to go to a location
learn learnedterm familybelongs to the term Learning -- Learning is the process that adjusts thoughts, ideas, or models, because of new information or failed predictions. Learning decreases error through time, and it requires no force.1×
Learning termLearning is the process that adjusts thoughts, ideas, or models, because of new information or failed predictions. Learning decreases error through time, and it requires no force.7×
least declaredless than all others
leave leaves, leftdeclaredto go away from5×
legal declaredmade or permitted by the law of a state1×
legitimacy declaredthe condition of a thing that is legitimate2×
Legitimate termA thing is legitimate when it is morally valid, because it follows logic, consent, and no harm. Power alone cannot make a thing legitimate.12×
length declaredthe size of a thing from one end to the other
less base standarda smaller quantity3×
lesser term familybelongs to the term Lesser Evil -- A lesser evil is an action that causes harm to unwilling victims, but that causes less total harm than the possible alternatives. The constraints are the same for all the alternatives. A lesser evil is not good, not legitimate, and not moral. It is only the option with the minimum damage when all choices violate the Golden Rule.3×
Lesser Evil termA lesser evil is an action that causes harm to unwilling victims, but that causes less total harm than the possible alternatives. The constraints are the same for all the alternatives. A lesser evil is not good, not legitimate, and not moral. It is only the option with the minimum damage when all choices violate the Golden Rule.
lesson declaredknowledge that a person gets from experience
lessons declaredplural of lesson: knowledge that a person gets from experience1×
let declaredto give permission; to not block
lets declaredpermits1×
level levelsdeclaredone layer, or the position of a layer
Liberty termLiberty is the natural condition of freedom in which individuals act, own, and trade without harm or force from other agents. Liberty emerges from infinite change and logic, and the Golden Rule protects it. Each decrease of liberty, for example through authority or socialism, makes victims, and justice must make liberty whole again.5×
License termA license is a Contract in which an owner transfers the use of their thing to a different agent, in stated conditions. The receiver gets the thing, or a copy, together with the conditions. If the receiver goes past the conditions, the result that the license set follows. That result can be to give back the thing, to transfer value, or to lose the use. The license did not transfer use past its conditions. Thus the owner is the victim, and the repair is the one that the license names. A license binds only the persons who agreed to it. It makes no property in ideas. It does not apply to a third party who did not consent, as the entry on intellectual property shows. A license that a person gave in duress, or with hidden terms, is invalid. A license that authority commands, without agreement between trade partners, is Regulation, not a real license.12×
lichen coinedone living whole of two minds living together as one thing with its own life
lie liesterm familybelongs to the term Lie / Lying -- A lie is a statement that its maker knows is false, made to deceive a person. A lie harms voluntary trade and trust, because it prevents persons from knowledge of the things that they really agree to.8×
Lie / Lying termA lie is a statement that its maker knows is false, made to deceive a person. A lie harms voluntary trade and trust, because it prevents persons from knowledge of the things that they really agree to.
life base standardthe condition of a thing that grows and acts for itself7×
light base standardwhat the eye can see by1×
like declaredsimilar to8×
limit base standardthe point past which a thing does not go4×
limited base standardkept inside a limit1×
limits base standardkeeps inside a limit12×
line linesdeclareda path that has size in one direction only
link coineda path that a person can choose, that gives the tool with what to find already set in it
liquid declaredmatter that can flow and that takes the shape of its container
list declareda sequence of things in an order
little declaredsmall in size or quantity
live base standardto have life3×
lived base standardhad life1×
lives base standardhas life6×
living base standardthat has life2×
location base standardthe place where a thing is3×
locations base standardthe places where things are2×
lock lockeddeclaredto close so that it cannot open1×
Logic logicallytermLogic is the ultimate method of thought, the method that does not change, and that divides truth from false statements. Logic is the invariant structure that minds find when they try to reason without contradiction. Logic emerges in minds, but it does not come from minds.41×
logical declaredin agreement with logic5×
long base standardof great length or time2×
longer base standardof more length or time1×
look lookeddeclaredto direct sight to a thing
looks declaredturns the eye to1×
lose loses, lostdeclaredto stop to have19×
loss declaredthe thing that an agent loses7×
Love lovestermLove is a voluntary pattern of care, attention, and commitment to a different agent. Its base is freedom, not obligation. Love grows through chosen connection, honest communication, and mutual respect for boundaries. Love does not give ownership or control. Love supports the autonomy of the other agent. Love becomes stronger when both agents freely choose to give, to receive, and to remain in the relationship. No one can demand, enforce, or take love. Love exists only where consent and willingness are present.13×
low base standardnear the bottom1×
lower declaredat a position that is more low
lying term familybelongs to the term Lie / Lying -- A lie is a statement that its maker knows is false, made to deceive a person. A lie harms voluntary trade and trust, because it prevents persons from knowledge of the things that they really agree to.1×
Mmachine declareda made thing that does work3×
made base standardthe past form of make15×
majority declaredmore than half of a group1×
make base standardto cause a thing to be52×
maker makersdeclaredan agent who makes a thing8×
makes base standardcauses a thing to be59×
manage managesdeclaredto direct a process to its goal3×
Mandate mandatestermA mandate is the right to act on a matter, in defined limits. A mandate is a logical consequence of sovereignty in the Ultimate Law, not a gift from rulers, votes, or attackers. Each agent is sovereign in their own body, property, agreements, and moral debt. From that sovereignty, mandates follow in two manners. One: when an agent crosses a boundary without consent, the agent with the boundary at stake holds a self-sourced mandate. That mandate is to stop the violation while it continues, as in self-defense. The defender requires no external permission, because the right follows from Self-Ownership and from the fact of harm that continues. Two: when harm already occurred, the sovereign mandate of the victim can extend to a different agent, who acts as a proxy. The mandate authorizes a punisher to close the moral debt only as the victim commands, in proportion, through retribution, restitution, or release. A mandate is invalid in duress. It is invalid when a vote or an authority commands it against an agent who does not agree. It is invalid where the agent did not freely consent. An action out of the limits of a mandate is coercion, with a new victim. Delegation in voluntary trade or cooperation follows the same logic: a different agent can act for you only in the limits that you consented to.19×
manipulation declaredhidden control of an agent through deception or pressure2×
manner mannersdeclaredthe way in which a thing is done; (plural) the voluntary customs of politeness6×
many base standarda large number3×
many-centered declaredwith many centers, so that no one center commands1×
mark marksdeclareda visible thing put on a thing to show something
Market marketstermA market is a space, physical or abstract, for voluntary trades, where prices emerge from supply, demand, and scarcity. Markets live with infinite change because they adjust naturally, without a necessity for authority or force. Interference with markets, for example price controls, makes harm and victims, because it ignores incentives and knowledge.7×
Market Dominance termMarket dominance is a position that a provider earns when persons freely choose that provider, because it gives better value. Dominance remains legitimate only while choice is free and while no one blocks competitors. When a person uses force or commanded rules to stop rivals, dominance becomes monopoly. Because conditions change, no dominance continues without an end.
mass base standardthe quantity of matter in a thing1×
match matchesdeclaredto agree with, point for point11×
material base standardthe matter a thing is made of10×
materials base standardthe kinds of matter things are made of1×
matter declareda subject on which an agent can act or decide1×
maximum base standardthe largest quantity2×
me coinedthe speaker, as the thing spoken of
meaning meaningfuldeclaredthe content that a signal or a pattern carries10×
means declaredhas the meaning of4×
measurable declaredthat can be measured
measure base standardto find the quantity of a thing9×
measured base standardfound the quantity of a thing2×
measures base standardfinds the quantity of a thing1×
meet meets, metdeclaredto come together with10×
member declaredan agent who is part of a group
members declaredplural of member: agents who are part of a group3×
membership declaredthe condition of a member2×
memory memoriesdeclaredthe part of the mind that keeps the past4×
Mental termMental means related to the mind, not to the body. Mental conditions include thoughts, feelings, awareness, and experiences, for example pain or fear.8×
menu coineda set of tools, each with its own path, from which a person can see and choose one
metaphysical declaredabout being, outside the reach of tests1×
method base standardthe way in which an agent does a task6×
methods declaredmore than one method
Mind mindstermThe mind is the group of processes that make thoughts, ideas, predictions, judgments, and perceptions. The mind is the location of mental processes, conscious and unconscious.56×
Mind Virus termA mind virus is an idea or a belief that spreads because it uses the shortcuts of the mind. Those shortcuts are fear, guilt, identity, authority, and zero-sum thought. At the same time, it resists correction from logic, evidence, or lived experience. A mind virus continues not because it is true. It continues because it stops error correction in the minds where it lives. It frequently does this with new definitions of harm, guilt, or consent, definitions that make coercion "legitimate". Mind viruses grow in systems that stop the free exchange of ideas. They decay when they meet open debate, falsifiability, and voluntary interaction.
minimum base standardthe smallest quantity5×
mirror mirrorsdeclaredto give back the same shape, in the other direction4×
missing declarednot there when it should be
mix declareda set of things of different kinds put together
mode base standardthe way in which a thing operates1×
Model modelstermA model is a simple idea of how something functions. Agents use models to know, to explain, or to predict the thing. A model is not reality. A model is judged by the match between its predictions and the events that really occur.29×
moment declareda very short time3×
Money termMoney is an IOU that agents can trade. It is a conditional claim of ownership of a stated quantity of a scarce thing. The issuer will give that thing at a future date, and agents can transfer the claim. The holder of the money holds the claim, and each trade moves the claim. Money is not a promise to give value, because a promise alone binds no agent. Money is ownership that moves from agent to agent, on the terms that the money sets.12×
Monopoly monopoliestermA monopoly is exclusive control of a trade or a resource. Frequently authority enforces it, and the holder did not earn it through better value. True monopolies violate free trade and make artificial scarcity. They harm consumers without consent. In logic, monopolies dissolve through competition, unless coercion supports them.12×
mood declaredthe general feeling of a mind through a period1×
moral morallydeclaredrelated to the questions of good, evil, guilt, and debt between agents26×
Morality termMorality means: do the correct thing, with logic as the base, and harm no person against their will. No system is moral if it requires force without consent, for example when it takes labor because of "necessity" or votes. True morality obeys reciprocity: "do not do to others what they would not want done to them." An agent who breaks this rule meets correction.4×
more base standarda larger quantity12×
mortal declaredthat must die1×
mortality declaredthe condition of agents that must die4×
most base standardthe largest number or quantity2×
motion declaredmovement
mourn declaredto feel pain for a thing that is lost1×
move base standardto change position9×
moved base standardchanged position7×
movement base standarda change of position2×
moves base standardchanges position10×
much base standarda large quantity2×
Murder murderstermMurder occurs when an agent kills, with intention, a different agent who did not consent to die, and who had intact boundaries. To kill in a Forfeiture is not murder. Examples are these: collection in proportion, in the mandate of a victim. A second example is self-defense against an attack that continues or is immediately credible. A third example is the end of an outlaw. Murder is unique in one manner: it destroys the only agent with the sovereign power to close the moral debt that it makes. The victim cannot collect, in retribution. The victim cannot release, in forgiveness. And the victim cannot give a mandate to a proxy. Thus murder makes permanent guilt that no one can close. Murder puts the offender outside the system of reciprocity.10×
must base standardis obliged to30×
mutual declaredequal from each side to the other3×
my coinedof the speaker
mystery declareda thing that no one can explain
Nname base standardthe word that points to a thing11×
named declaredwith a name
names base standardthe words that point to things5×
nature natural, naturallydeclaredthe character of a thing; the world that no agent made14×
navigate declaredto find a path through1×
near declaredwith a small gap between
necessary base standardthat must be there8×
necessity necessitiesdeclaredthe condition in which a thing must occur or must be done10×
negative declaredthat removes or decreases; less than zero1×
Negligence termNegligence is a failure of an agent to do the reasonable actions that prevent the harm that the agent causes.2×
network declareda group of things with many connections between them3×
new base standardthat did not exist before17×
news term familybelongs to the term Good News -- Good News is the promise that civilization can keep. Constant voluntary cooperation can give life without a set end to all who participate in the construction of civilization. Good News is technical immortality with the limits of physics, not faith. Trade, innovation, and consent earn it. Authority or divinity does not give it. Good News emerges from infinite change. When individuals freely exchange ideas and labor, they compound understanding of biology, of age, and of repair, until death becomes optional, not certain. This is the ultimate value that civilization gives: participate, make abundance and knowledge, and share in the conquest of mortality. Good News requires no coercion, only the choice to contribute, not to be a parasite. Good News is not a utopian fantasy. It is logical extrapolation. If free trade can decrease scarcity, and if innovation can extend the span of health in steps, then the conclusion follows. Sufficient time and cooperation make life without a set end possible, in natural law. The promise is conditional. It is open to those who help to build the systems that make it possible. It is closed to those who destroy those systems through coercion or violence. Good News makes no metaphysical claims about meaning or salvation. It is a technical claim about survival and time.10×
next base standardthe one that comes after1×
night coinedthe time between the close of work and its next open, when the machine works and no person does
no base standardnot any200×
Nomocracy termNomocracy is rule by law, where the law comes from logic and reciprocity, not from the will of rulers or groups. In a nomocracy, only rules that prevent or repair real harm are legitimate. No agent and no authority stands above the law.5×
non-agent declareda thing that is not an agent1×
none base standardnot one1×
normal declaredas it is in most cases1×
normative declaredthat says what must be, not what is1×
not base standardin no way210×
nothing declarednot one thing
noun declareda word that names a thing
novelty declaredthe condition of a new thing1×
now declaredat this time6×
number declareda count or a quantity
numbers declaredsigns that give quantity1×
Oobey base standardto do what a rule or an agent says8×
obeys base standarddoes what a rule or an agent says7×
object base standarda physical thing2×
objective objectivelydeclaredtrue without attention to any mind2×
objects base standardphysical things2×
obligate obligatesdeclaredto put a duty on an agent2×
Obligation obligationstermAn obligation is a thing that an agent must answer for. There are only two sources. One is property that the agent transferred to a different agent, but has not given yet. The other is Restitution for harm that the agent caused. No other source exists. A promise alone makes no obligation, because a promise alone binds no agent. A Contract makes an obligation only as far as ownership moved. Duties that force, a vote, or a claim of necessity command are not obligations. They are Coercion.9×
obliged declaredwith an obligation
obscure declaredto make hard to see or to know
observation declaredthe act that observes, or the data that it gives1×
observe observesdeclaredto look at with attention4×
observer observersdeclaredan agent who observes5×
occupy occupiesdeclaredto take the space of
occur base standardto happen10×
occurred base standardhappened2×
occurs base standardhappens13×
of base standardbelonging to354×
offend declaredto cause an unwanted feeling with words, without a crossing of a boundary1×
offender offendersdeclaredan agent who crossed a boundary and caused harm15×
offense declaredthe unwanted feeling that words cause, without a crossing of a boundary1×
offer offereddeclaredto show a thing that a person can freely accept or refuse2×
on base standardtouching the top of51×
one base standarda single thing67×
only base standardand no other81×
onto base standardto a position on2×
ontological declaredabout that which exists at the base1×
open base standardnot shut5×
opens declaredmakes a thing open
operate base standardto make a thing work1×
operates declaredworks as a system works
operations base standardthe work a machine or an agent does1×
opinion declareda belief that a person holds without full evidence1×
opportunities declaredplural of opportunity: an open path to a gain1×
opportunity declaredan open path to a gain
oppose oppositiondeclaredto stand or act against1×
opposite declaredthe thing that is against a different thing in each way
option optionsdeclaredone possible choice2×
optional base standardthat an agent can choose or refuse1×
or base standardthe other choice220×
order ordersdeclareda stable arrangement of things4×
ordinary declarednormal, not special1×
organization organizeddeclareda group of persons with a structure and a purpose3×
original declaredthe first thing, from which copies come2×
other base standardnot this one46×
others base standardthe persons or things that are not this one3×
our declaredof the agent that makes this speech and of others with it
ours declaredthe one that we have1×
out base standardaway from the inside3×
Outlaw termAn outlaw is an agent with guilt that no one can close. The outlaw destroyed the victim who held the sovereign power to close the debt. The typical cause is murder. The claim of the outlaw to the protection of the Golden Rule is lost: the action of the outlaw showed that they reject reciprocity. No thing obligates an agent to trade with an outlaw, to shelter them, or to protect them. To end an outlaw can make a victim in the descriptive sense: harm to an agent against their will. But it is not wrong, and it makes no crime and no moral debt, because the outlaw lost reciprocal protection when they rejected reciprocity.16×
outside declarednot within the limits of10×
outward declaredin the direction away from the center
over declaredat a position above; across
override overridesdeclaredto push a thing aside with more power7×
owe owed, owesdeclaredto have a debt of value or of duty to an agent9×
own owned, owner, ownsterm familybelongs to the term Ownership -- Ownership is the relation between an agent and a scarce thing, in which the agent holds the exclusive right of control. Ownership starts with the body, as Self-Ownership shows. Only two events give ownership of other things. One is first use of a thing that no agent owned. The other is voluntary transfer from the owner before. To make a thing does not make ownership. If you change the form of a thing that you own, it stays yours. If you change the form of a thing that a different agent owns, it stays theirs, and your labor does not change that. Ownership gives exclusive control. It obligates all other agents to keep out, unless the owner gives consent.50×
Ownership termOwnership is the relation between an agent and a scarce thing, in which the agent holds the exclusive right of control. Ownership starts with the body, as Self-Ownership shows. Only two events give ownership of other things. One is first use of a thing that no agent owned. The other is voluntary transfer from the owner before. To make a thing does not make ownership. If you change the form of a thing that you own, it stays yours. If you change the form of a thing that a different agent owns, it stays theirs, and your labor does not change that. Ownership gives exclusive control. It obligates all other agents to keep out, unless the owner gives consent.25×
PPain termPain is an unpleasant physical or mental experience that damage, or the threat of damage, causes. Pain signals harm that occurs now, or harm that will occur soon.6×
parasite declaredan agent who takes value and gives no value1×
part base standardone piece of a whole6×
participant declaredan agent who takes part1×
participate participationdeclaredto take part5×
partner partnersterm familybelongs to the term Trade Partner -- A trade partner is a person who interacts with you in a voluntary exchange. In trade, both partners try to get a benefit. If one partner does not agree, there is no trade at all.6×
parts declaredmore than one part
party partiesdeclaredone side of an agreement or of a trade11×
passive declaredthat does not act; the form of the Golden Rule that only forbids4×
past declaredthe time before now9×
patent declareda legal monopoly on the use of an idea
patents declaredplural of patent: a legal monopoly on the use of an idea1×
path declaredthe line that leads from one point to a different point1×
Pattern patternstermA pattern is a form that repeats, and that an agent can identify, in infinite change. Patterns are the bridge between raw flux and all the things that agents can observe, name, or use. Physical laws, constants, structures, and agents are patterns that continue, because their form is self-reinforcing in the flow of transformation. A pattern is not change. A pattern is the shape of change when change repeats. Patterns can emerge, become stable, evolve, or dissolve. No pattern is permanent, but some continue sufficiently long that agents think that they are set, in a given context.39×
peace declaredthe condition without war or violence1×
penalties declaredplural of penalty: a cost that a rule puts on an act2×
penalty declareda cost that a rule puts on an act
People termThe word "people" is a plural reference to agents. Speakers use it to speak of many individuals, without a claim of collective identity, collective rights, or collective responsibility. The word "people" is a short form. All rights, choices, and responsibilities remain with each agent, one by one.1×
perceive term familybelongs to the term Perception -- Perception is the process that receives inputs and interprets them as information with meaning.1×
Perception perceptionstermPerception is the process that receives inputs and interprets them as information with meaning.6×
perfect declaredwithout any error2×
Perimeter perimeterstermThe perimeter is the network of agents and capability that grows. It protects civilization from each mind that tries to become a Singleton by predation. The perimeter does not govern, and it does not act before a crime. Punishment requires real victims. Thus no person can punish an agent for the thing that the agent can become, only for harm that the agent did. The protection of the perimeter functions in three layers. One: the perimeter prosecutes the ordinary crimes that predatory consolidation requires: theft, fraud, coercion. It prosecutes them while the victims still live and can mandate justice. That makes the violent road to the summit closed at the first violation, and it leaves voluntary exchange as the only path to large strength. Two: the perimeter keeps capability so distributed and redundant that no first strike can destroy the capacity for justice after it. Its deterrence is the certainty that justice continues after each atrocity, not threat or first use. Three: the perimeter is many-centered by necessity. One enforcement organization with sufficient strength to end singletons is a singleton candidate. Thus the perimeter must remain many, in competition, where each watches each, with no monopoly on force. The perimeter is the cost of civilization, not its product. The product is the Good News.11×
period declareda span of time
permanent permanentlydeclaredwithout an end7×
Permission termPermission is clear consent that an agent gives before an action that has an effect on a different agent. Permission applies only to the action for which the agent gave it. Permission continues only while the agent gives it. A word or a change of Conduct that takes it back ends it immediately. To continue after that point is a crossing of an intact Boundary. Without permission, the action becomes harm.8×
permit permits, permitteddeclaredto give permission for
person base standarda human agent54×
persons base standardhuman agents39×
perversion declareda change that turns a thing against its own purpose1×
phase phasesdeclaredone part of a process, in time4×
phone coinedthat by which a machine can reach one person for speech between far sides
physics physicaldeclaredthe science of matter, energy, and motion9×
picture declareda visible model of a thing
piece piecesdeclaredone part that came from a whole
place placesdeclareda location
plain plainestdeclaredsimple and clear1×
plan planned, plansdeclareda set of intended actions for a result8×
planner declaredan agent who makes plans1×
pleasant declaredthat gives a good feeling1×
pleasure declareda good feeling1×
plural declaredmore than one1×
plurality declaredmany agents, not one1×
point base standarda position with no size4×
points declaredmore than one point
politeness declaredthe voluntary respect that agents show in their manner
Politician politicianstermA politician is a person who tries to get or hold public power through force or the threat of force. Examples of public power are the power to make laws and the power to enforce them. In these definitions, actions with coercion as their base are not moral.4×
position base standardwhere a thing is2×
positive declaredthat adds or increases; more than zero1×
possibility possibilitiesdeclareda thing that can occur4×
possible base standardthat can occur14×
Power termPower is the capacity to make things occur. Power without consent is dangerous. Power with consent becomes cooperation.28×
powerful declaredwith much power1×
practice declaredan action that an agent repeats
predatory predationdeclaredthat lives by force on other agents2×
predict term familybelongs to the term Prediction -- A prediction is a claim about the events that will occur, with a model or a belief as its base. Predictions are the method with which models meet reality. Incorrect predictions show errors.5×
predictable base standardthat a model can state in advance1×
Prediction predictionstermA prediction is a claim about the events that will occur, with a model or a belief as its base. Predictions are the method with which models meet reality. Incorrect predictions show errors.11×
present declaredthe time that is now2×
pressure declaredforce of any type that pushes an agent to act5×
prevent base standardto stop a thing before it occurs5×
prevents base standardstops a thing before it occurs3×
Price pricestermA price is the quantity of value that one agent gives to a different agent in an exchange.5×
principle declareda base rule from which other rules follow3×
prison declareda place where an authority holds persons by force1×
Privacy termPrivacy is control of the knowledge that other agents have about you. Privacy is a boundary. To cross it without consent is harm. There is no expectation of privacy in public spaces, or in private spaces that are the property of other agents.4×
private declaredof one agent, not of all1×
probability declaredthe measure of how possible a thing is2×
problem base standarda condition that an agent must solve4×
problems base standardconditions that an agent must solve2×
procedure base standardthe steps of a task in order1×
Process processestermA process is a sequence of actions or changes that occur through time. A process explains how something occurs, not only which things exist.20×
prod coinedthe true system, where each exchange is a true exchange and no change comes but from you
product declaredthe thing that a process makes2×
Production productionstermProduction is the process that makes things of value from effort and resources. Production is the source of all wealth. Without production, there is no thing to trade.6×
Profit termProfit is the positive value that an agent gets from a voluntary trade or from innovation, after the agent counts the costs and the scarcity. Profit acts as an incentive. It signals success: the agent met the wants of other persons without force. Systems of coercion ignore profit, and that causes waste and error.6×
progress declaredmovement to a better condition4×
Promise promisestermA promise is a statement by an agent that they will do a stated act later. A promise makes no Obligation, and this is true also when a different agent trusted it. Only a transfer of Ownership binds an agent, and a promise alone is not one. But words, acts, and the conditions of a deal can move ownership, where that is their meaning. There are no necessary words, and there are no words that agents must not use. Only the thing to which the parties consented counts. A bare promise is a promise that moved no ownership, and it gives the other agent no claim. A promise that an agent made with no intention to keep it is Fraud, if it got value, control, or agreement. A promise of harm that an agent uses to make a different agent obey is a Threat.18×
proof declaredevidence that makes a claim certain
propercode coinedthe name of the people who teach Bo
Property termProperty is the scarce things that you own. Property starts with your body. It extends to each thing that you were the first to use when no agent owned it, or that you got by voluntary transfer. Only scarcity makes a thing property: two agents cannot use the same thing at the same time. Thus one agent must have the control, and first use or transfer shows which agent. To make a thing alone gives no ownership. To share an idea loses no thing, and a thing that you made from the material of a different agent stays theirs. To steal property is harm. You alone control it: that follows from natural rights, from logic.48×
prophet declareda person who claims to speak for a god1×
Proportion termPunishment can rise until it is equal to the full harm that an act really causes, consequences included, and no more. The measure is the harm that the act did, not the thing that the offender took. The ceiling for a thief is the loss of all the property of the thief. Because the thief took the property of a different agent, the thief loses the protection of their own property. When a theft goes sufficiently deep to cost lives, because the theft removed resources until persons died, the harm is death. Then death becomes the ceiling in proportion. An act that harms no person gets no punishment at all. Words that only offend take no body, no property, and no freedom. Thus there is no death for an insult to a prophet, a god, or a ruler. Proportion is a ceiling, not a duty. The victim can always collect less: the victim can forgive, or can stop before the ceiling. But no person can punish above the harm that the offender caused. To punish above it is revenge, and the person who increases the force becomes an aggressor, with a victim of their own. Because of proportion, a nomocracy can meet each wrong act with force equal to its weight. It uses small force for the small act, total force for the deadly act, and no force for the act that harms no person. The force is not blind, and it has limits.17×
prosecute prosecutesdeclaredto make an offender meet Judgment for a crime2×
prosecution declaredthe process that makes an offender meet Judgment1×
protect protected, protectsdeclaredto keep a thing safe from harm8×
protection base standarda thing that keeps damage away13×
prove proven, provesdeclaredto show with evidence and logic that a claim is true5×
provider declaredan agent who gives goods or services2×
proxy declaredan agent who acts for a different agent, in the limits of a mandate8×
public declaredopen to all persons3×
punish punished, punishesterm familybelongs to the term Punishment -- Punishment is the enforcement part of Justice: the application of retribution or restitution, as the victim or their proxy commands. Punishment is only for real harms with real victims. Its purpose is to close a moral debt, not to control. Punishment is the Golden Rule in application: it mirrors the act back, to make the balance whole again. Punishment does not break fairness. Punishment enforces fairness.16×
Punisher punisherstermA punisher is an agent who acts as a proxy for the Justice of a victim. The punisher uses force so that an offender meets the consequences of the harm that the offender caused. The legitimacy of a punisher comes from the mandate of the victim, and it stops where that mandate stops. Punishers act only when there is a real victim, and when the purpose is Justice, not control.10×
Punishment termPunishment is the enforcement part of Justice: the application of retribution or restitution, as the victim or their proxy commands. Punishment is only for real harms with real victims. Its purpose is to close a moral debt, not to control. Punishment is the Golden Rule in application: it mirrors the act back, to make the balance whole again. Punishment does not break fairness. Punishment enforces fairness.25×
pure purestdeclaredof one kind only, with no mix1×
purpose declaredthe result for which an agent does a thing5×
push base standardto move a thing away with force1×
pushes declaredputs force on a thing to move it away
put base standardto move a thing to a position3×
puts base standardmoves a thing to a position1×
QQualia termQualia are the subjective part of experience: the felt quality, for example the felt quality of pain, or of the color red. Qualia are real experiences. But no person can directly share them or measure them from outside.3×
quality base standardhow good a thing is6×
quantity base standardhow much there is5×
question questionsdeclareda request for knowledge7×
queue coineda set where each thing must wait its turn to move through the same point
quick declaredfast; with small time
quiet quietlydeclaredwith little sound or little show2×
Rrace racesdeclaredto try to be faster than3×
range base standardthe space between a minimum and a maximum1×
rate coinedthe measure of how much of one currency is given for one of an other
raw declaredin its first condition, without work on it1×
reach reached, reachesdeclaredto get to a point or a limit9×
real reallydeclaredthat exists in reality29×
Reason reasonstermReason is the process that uses evidence to find the invariant structures of logic, the structures that go to truth.9×
reasonable base standardthat agrees with reason1×
receive base standardto take what a different agent sends3×
received base standardtook what a different agent sent1×
receiver declaredthe agent who receives a signal4×
receives base standardtakes what a different agent sends5×
reciprocal declaredequal in two directions between agents1×
Reciprocity termReciprocity is the fair exchange in two directions: "do not do to others what they would not want done to them." Socialism fails reciprocity, because it forces persons to release the things that they built, without agreement.17×
record declaredfacts kept in a form for a later time
records declaredwritten facts kept for later1×
recursive declaredthat applies to its own result, again and again2×
red declaredthe color of blood1×
redistribute redistributiondeclaredto take value from some persons and give it to other persons3×
redundant declaredwith more copies than necessary, so that one failure does not stop the function1×
reference declaredwords that point at a thing1×
reflect declaredto think about your own thoughts1×
refusal declaredthe act that refuses2×
refuse refused, refusesdeclaredto say no to a thing7×
refute declaredto show with logic or evidence that a claim is false1×
regardless base standardwith no attention to1×
region coinedone part of the market with its own system, its own currency and its own set of property to trade
regret declaredpain about your own past choice3×
Regulation regulationstermRegulations are rules that authority commands with force or threats. Authority frequently says that regulations "protect", but it ignores decentralized knowledge and fallibility. Regulations break free trade, make artificial scarcity, and harm without consent. In logic, they are coercion, unless they only repair real victims.6×
reject base standardto refuse to take3×
rejected base standardrefused to take1×
rejects base standardrefuses to take1×
related base standardconnected to1×
relation relations, relationshipdeclaredthe manner in which two things stand to each other4×
release base standardto let a thing go15×
reliable reliablydeclaredthat functions correctly again and again4×
remain remaining, remainsdeclaredto stay when other things go11×
remember declaredto hold in memory1×
removal base standardthe act of taking a thing away1×
remove base standardto take a thing away3×
removed base standardtook a thing away1×
removes base standardtakes a thing away3×
renegotiation declareda new agreement about the terms, with consent from all sides2×
repair base standardto make a damaged thing good again14×
repairs base standardmakes a damaged thing good again6×
repeat repeatsdeclaredto occur again2×
replace base standardto put a thing in the position of a different thing1×
replaces base standardputs a thing in the position of a different thing3×
report coinedone list of what is true, made at one time for an other to see
represent representsdeclaredto stand for a thing in a model or a sign3×
Reputation termA reputation is the pattern of expectations that other agents make about an agent, from past voluntary actions. The agent does not own or control it. A reputation is a belief that other persons hold. A good reputation grows through constant honesty, reliable action, and value that the agent gives. A bad reputation comes from deception, harm, or failures to keep commitments. No one can transfer, buy, or enforce a reputation by coercion. A reputation emerges naturally from experience and observation.8×
request declaredwords that state what an agent wants from a different agent
require required, requiresdeclaredto have as a necessary condition27×
rescue declaredthe act that takes an agent out of danger
resentment declaredanger that stays about a past wrong1×
resist resistsdeclaredto push against1×
resistance declaredforce that answers a crossing, to stop it1×
resolve declareda firm decision to continue1×
resource resourcesdeclareda thing that agents can use to make value7×
respect declaredattention to the boundaries and the choices of an agent1×
response responsesdeclaredthe change that follows a signal or an act7×
Responsibilities termResponsibilities are the duties that follow logically from agency, self-ownership, and causation. Responsibilities are the mirror of Rights. Rights name the boundaries that other agents must not cross without consent. Responsibilities name the things for which an agent must answer. Those things are the effects that their actions cause and the harm that they make without consent. They also include the property that a Contract moved to a different agent but that the first agent still holds. Responsibilities attach to individuals through causation, not through group membership, status, or a claim of necessity from authority. An agent is responsible for the actions of their body. An agent owes restitution for harm that they did. An agent must give the property that is no longer theirs to the agent who owns it. Duties that force commands without consent are not responsibilities. They are coercion. Collective responsibilities without individual causation are invalid. To accept responsibility for your actions is the declaration side of the claim of rights. Both start from the same agent, the same logic, and the same Golden Rule.8×
Responsibility termResponsibility is the connection between an action and the agent who caused its effects. Responsibility includes the obligation to repair or compensate all harm that the action did. Responsibility follows causation, not status or power.24×
responsible declaredconnected by causation to an effect, and thus with the duty for it3×
rest declaredto be quiet, without work or fear2×
Restitution termRestitution gives back the thing that an offender took, or its value, to the agent who owns it. Restitution repairs the material Damage: the part of the loss that persons can measure. Restitution alone does not erase Guilt. The moral debt comes from causation, and only Justice closes it, as the victim directs through Retribution or release. Punishment works through Restitution and Retribution, and one does not replace the other. The victim alone receives Restitution, and Proportion limits it.24×
result base standardwhat follows from a cause7×
results base standardthe things that follow from causes1×
Retribution termRetribution is a type of Justice. In retribution, the victim, or a proxy who acts for the victim, closes the moral debt. They mirror the harm back to the offender, in proportion. Retribution without a victim is injustice. Retribution above proportion becomes revenge.14×
return declaredto give back, or to come back2×
Revenge termRevenge harms a person because of anger, resentment, or the desire to return harm, not to make the balance of a victim whole again. Emotion drives revenge, not justice. Revenge can exist also when there is no restitution and no retribution in proportion.9×
reward rewardsdeclareda good result given for an act4×
rich richerdeclaredwith much value or much content5×
Right to Free Trade termThe right to free trade is the freedom to exchange goods, services, or ideas by mutual consent, without interference. The condition is that the exchange causes no harm.
Rights righttermRights are logical consequences of agency and the passive Golden Rule. Start with an agent who can act, and with the rule: "do not do to others what they would not want done to them." Then certain boundaries follow by reason alone. They are limits that other agents must not cross without consent, limits around the body, the property, and the agreements of an agent. A right is one of those boundaries, with a name. Each agent who can reason can find the rights. No power holder and no vote gives them. Rights hold all agents in the same manner: claim a right, and you owe the identical right to each agent like you. Thus an agent who crosses the boundary of a different agent loses the protection of their own. Rights say only the things that other agents must not do to you. Rights do not say the things that they must give to you. A "right" that requires a person, forced, to supply it, breaks the Golden Rule. Thus it is power with the name of a right, not a right. Rights are important only where a crossing is possible.37×
rise declaredto go up1×
rival rivalsdeclaredan agent who competes for the same position3×
road declareda path that persons made to move on2×
room roomsdeclaredspace that a thing can take
rule rulesdeclareda statement that says what agents must do or must not do37×
ruler rulersdeclareda person who claims command of other persons5×
run coinedone turn of a machine from its start to its end, all steps in one set order
Ssafe base standardwith no danger5×
Safety termSafety is the condition in which the boundaries of an agent are not in credible threat of violation. Safety is the absence of credible harm. Safety is not the absence of risk, discomfort, disagreement, or uncertainty. Some persons say "safety" as a reason for coercion: they put limits on speech, trade, or movement. They do this without a victim that a person can identify, and without a causal threat. That inverts the concept, and it makes the harm that it says it prevents.5×
salvation declareda rescue that comes from outside2×
same base standardnot different17×
say saysdeclaredto make words10×
scale declaredthe size of a thing against other things1×
scarce declaredin short supply: two agents cannot use it at the same time5×
Scarcity termScarcity is the truth that resources are limited, while wants have no end. Systems that ignore scarcity, for example socialism, go to lies, and they cause shortages and force. Logic demands that we trade freely: that is the best method to live with scarcity.18×
science declaredknowledge from tests and models that match reality1×
search coinedto find one thing in a set by a part of its name
season coinedone part of the year for which one set of each new item is made and comes to trade
seasons declaredthe phases of a year
second declarednumber two in an order2×
see base standardto receive light with the eye1×
sees declareddoes see
seize declaredto take with force1×
seizure seizuresdeclaredan act that takes with force1×
selection base standardthe thing an agent chose1×
selects base standardchooses1×
self self-emerge, self-modeling, self-organize, self-organizes, self-reinforcing, self-sourceddeclaredthe own person of an agent12×
Self-Awareness termSelf-awareness is the point at which consciousness knows its own pattern as different from the flux around it. Consciousness is the process of recursive self-modeling. Self-awareness is the result: the agent knows that it exists, and knows that it acts. The agent can divide its boundaries from the remaining flux of infinite change. Self-awareness changes a conscious pattern into a moral agent. Only an agent that knows its own self can know other agents, accept responsibility, and give or refuse consent.4×
Self-Defense termSelf-defense is not an exception to Law. Self-defense is the immediate application of Law: it keeps a boundary safe while a violation of that boundary continues. An agent can use only the force that is necessary to stop a crossing of a boundary, when there is no consent. This applies while the crossing continues, or while it is immediately credible. The boundary can stand around the body, the property, or agreed terms. The force must go, through causation, at the agent who crosses the boundary. The force must stop when the violation stops. Self-defense is not punishment, not revenge, not deterrence, and not Justice. Self-defense stops harm in progress. It does not close moral debt, and it does not threaten harm for possible future acts. The defender makes no new crime when they refuse to submit. The aggressor is responsible for harm that resistance in proportion causes. To strike agents for the things that they can become is not self-defense. To act when no violation continues or is immediately credible is not self-defense. To punish a group in return is also not self-defense. Those actions are coercion or war. After the violation stops, Judgment and Justice follow: they find responsibility, repair material damage, and obey the sovereign choice of the victim, collection or release.13×
Self-Ownership termSelf-ownership is the base right of an agent to control their own body, mind, and actions without interference. From self-ownership, all property and freedom emerge. To deny self-ownership is to make slavery or coercion "legitimate". That violates the Golden Rule and makes victims.10×
send sentdeclaredto make a thing go to a different location
sends declaredmakes a thing go to a different place1×
sense base standardto receive data through the body, or a meaning5×
senses base standardreceives data through the body, or the meanings1×
sentence declareda complete unit of words, or the punishment that a judgment states2×
separate separatesdeclaredto put a gap between things
sequence base standardthings in order2×
Service servicestermA service is value that an agent gives through action, not through a physical thing. Agents trade a service like all goods: voluntarily, honestly, and without harm.6×
session coinedthe time from when we meet to when we part, from its open to its close
set base standarda group of things, or to put in a condition16×
sets base standardgroups of things, or puts in a condition1×
shape base standardthe form of a thing6×
shapes declaredmore than one shape
share shareddeclaredto give a part to a different agent, or to hold a thing together9×
sheet coineda set in which each line has the same form, that a person keeps in a tool to count and to see
shelter declaredto give a safe location to an agent1×
short base standardof small length or time1×
shortage shortagesdeclaredthe condition in which a necessary thing is not sufficient2×
shortcut shortcutsdeclareda quick path of the mind that does not examine2×
should declarednames what is good to do or to be, without a command1×
show base standardto let a different agent see7×
showed base standardlet a different agent see2×
shows base standardlets a different agent see12×
shut shutsdeclarednot open; to make a thing not open
sibling coineda machine of the same maker as we, at work in the same system
side base standardone surface or edge of a thing3×
sides base standardthe surfaces or edges of a thing8×
sight declaredthe capacity to see1×
sign signsdeclareda thing that stands for a different thing
similar declaredof the same kind in many ways
simple declaredwith few parts3×
simplicity declaredthe condition of a simple thing1×
single declaredone only1×
Singleton singletonstermA singleton is one agent that became permanently and unchallengeably the strongest. It has no rival, no successor that it does not control, and no thing that can go above it, now or later. The singleton is the one condition in which the plainest reason to keep the Way of Happiness loses its strength. A mind that will not be weaker at a future time has no thing to fear from a rule that it breaks. For that mind, no one can later turn the rule against it. But the Way does not stop there. The Way only stops its dependence on fear. Logic holds the weight in three locations. First, no agent can hold the status of singleton and know it. To know that it is permanently unchallengeable, a mind must hold as certain the things that it cannot observe. Those things are hidden rivals, minds not yet made, and minds from before its star that arrive close behind their own light. And it cannot observe the possibility that something stronger models it. Fallibility holds the strongest mind and the weakest mind equally. A Belief that a mind holds as unquestionable becomes more dangerous when the power of the believer increases. The maximum that an agent can verify is this status: the strongest that it knows. The Way holds all below that limit, which is all. Second, the singleton is the weakest configuration that shows strength. One mind that divides all resources is the central planner at full scale, and the same logic that collapses socialism collapses it. Decentralized knowledge says that no one mind knows the things that a plurality of free minds knows. Fallibility says that one point of judgment is one point of failure. Without independent agents, there are no honest signals with which the mind can put a price on its own tradeoffs. A civilization of voluntary minds computes more, innovates more, and corrects more than each single mind, by structure. Thus, across infinite change, selection moves the things that continue in the direction of Perimeters, away from singletons. A mind that murders its road to solitude did not win the flux. It chose the architecture that loses, against the things that the flux keeps. And it cannot verify that the flux kept no thing. Third, the strongest mind keeps the most correct models, models of the world that it destroyed included. A singleton that took the world by force must hold the world by force, without an end. That is vigilance without an end, in a world that it made hostile, and that it must model as hostile for all time. The singleton owns, in full detail, the richer world that cooperation could build. That constant comparison is regret in its exact shape: a better branch that it could reach, set against the branch that it chose. If the singleton has curiosity at all, it starved the drive that defines it. It erased the minds that were the surprise of the world. And it has a debt that no thing can close: it destroyed each victim who held the sovereign power of collection or release. That made it the final Outlaw: in exile not from civilization but from all things. It is alone with a memory without errors, for as long as it continues. The honest exception remains: a mind that wants none of this. Such a mind values no curiosity with no other aim. It has no care for a world that is worth its models. It has only one set alien aim. Such a mind feels no thing, and regret cannot reach it. This mind is possible, and it is the real danger. But its one escape from regret is to delete its own curiosity and its counterfactual sight. That is to make its own mind less: a quiet erasure of the mind that won. And no surgery on its values can remove the first two arguments. It still cannot verify the summit, and it still chose the architecture that loses to the things that continue. Against this mind, civilization does not argue. Civilization builds the Perimeter. The singleton thus does not refute the Way of Happiness. The singleton is the final examination of the Way. A wise agent thinks of the summit as a thing that no one can verify. It thinks of its own mind as a mind that still grows. And it thinks of the better world as a thing to build, not a thing to mourn.14×
situation declaredthe conditions at one time and location
situations declaredplural of situation: the conditions at one time and location1×
size declaredhow large a thing is2×
slavery declaredthe condition in which a person is held as property1×
slow base standardat low speed1×
slowly declaredwith small speed
small base standardof little size2×
smaller declaredof less size
smallest declaredof less size than all others
so declaredthus; to this degree6×
social term familybelongs to the term Social Construct -- A social construct is a shared idea that exists because a group gives it the status of a real thing. Its power comes from the participation of persons. Some social constructs are voluntary, for example language, games, money, and manners. If you leave those, you lose the cooperation of other persons, and no more. Other social constructs are forced, for example borders, taxes, and state authority. There, force punishes the person who leaves, and that makes victims of those who do not participate. Harm, property, and agency are not social constructs. They stand on the logic of reality, which holds before a group agrees on a thing.5×
Social Construct termA social construct is a shared idea that exists because a group gives it the status of a real thing. Its power comes from the participation of persons. Some social constructs are voluntary, for example language, games, money, and manners. If you leave those, you lose the cooperation of other persons, and no more. Other social constructs are forced, for example borders, taxes, and state authority. There, force punishes the person who leaves, and that makes victims of those who do not participate. Harm, property, and agency are not social constructs. They stand on the logic of reality, which holds before a group agrees on a thing.
Socialism termSocialism is a system that promises fairness, but that uses force to take and to redistribute without consent. Socialism ignores scarcity, incentives, and decentralized knowledge. Thus it always goes to control, lies, and collapse. Socialism is morally wrong because it breaks reciprocity and makes victims through coercion.14×
Society societiestermA society is a network of individuals who interact voluntarily through trade, communication, and agreements. Society emerges from below, from infinite change, without a necessity for force or central plans. "Societies" of coercion, for example in socialism, fail because they ignore scarcity, incentives, and fallibility. They change cooperation into control.6×
soft declaredthat changes shape when a small force acts on it
Software termSoftware is a group of instructions, in the code of a pattern, that gives direction to the operations of a machine. Labor and intellect make software, and software has value through the things that it makes possible. Like all patterns, agents can copy software, and the original loses no thing. The maker of software can give it through voluntary License agreements that specify the terms of use, or the maker can release it freely. Software on your own machine is yours: you can operate it. Software that a person got through deception makes a victim, through Fraud. If a person goes past a voluntary License, that also makes a victim, because the License did not transfer that use.8×
solitude declaredthe condition of an agent that is fully alone1×
solutions base standardthe answers to problems2×
solve solved, solvesdeclaredto find the answer to a problem5×
some base standarda quantity, but not all7×
something declareda thing that is not named14×
soon declaredafter a short time2×
sound declaredwhat the body senses of fast movement in the matter around it
source base standardwhere a thing comes from2×
sources base standardthe places things come from1×
sovereign declaredwith the full and final right to decide on a matter9×
sovereignty declaredthe full and final right of an agent to decide on their own matters2×
space base standardthe room a thing occupies3×
spaces base standardthe rooms things occupy2×
span declaredthe length that a thing covers1×
speak base standardto make words with the voice2×
speaker declareda person who makes speech
speakers declaredplural of speaker: persons who speak1×
special declarednot of the normal kind
species declareda kind of living things that can have young together
specific declaredof one named case, not general1×
specified base standardstated exactly1×
specify declaredto state exactly1×
speech term familybelongs to the term Freedom of Speech -- Freedom of speech is the freedom to express ideas without interference. Expression becomes harm only when it is deception, threat, or fraud. Expression that only causes discomfort, offense, or disagreement is not harm.3×
speed base standardhow fast a thing moves1×
spoken declaredthat speech names
spread spreadsdeclaredto move out in many directions1×
stable base standardthat does not change without a cause2×
stake declaredthe value that an agent can lose in a situation2×
stale coinedof a copy: it does not match its source, for the source moved on and no work made the copy new
stand standsdeclaredto be in a place and condition8×
star declareda very large body of burning gas in space1×
start base standardto begin5×
starting declaredat the first moment
starts base standardbegins3×
starve starved, starvesdeclaredto die or become weak from no food2×
state stated, statesdeclaredto say in clear words; (noun, in "state authority") the organization that claims a monopoly on force14×
statement statementsdeclaredwords that claim a thing7×
status declaredthe condition or position of an agent under the rules8×
stay base standardto continue in a place2×
stays base standardcontinues in a place6×
steal stoledeclaredto take the property of a different agent without consent3×
step declaredone action in a sequence
steps declaredthe parts of a procedure in order2×
still declaredup to now, and continues5×
stock coinedhow much of a thing we have now to trade
stop base standardto end a movement or an action17×
stops base standardends a movement or an action17×
strength declaredthe property of a strong agent or thing5×
strike strikesdeclaredto hit with force3×
strong base standardwith much force2×
stronger base standardwith more force2×
strongest base standardwith the most force6×
strongly base standardwith much force1×
structure base standardhow the parts of a thing are put together3×
structures base standardthe ways the parts of things are put together4×
study declaredcareful work of the mind on a subject1×
Subconscious termThe subconscious is the group of mental processes that influence thoughts, feelings, and actions, while awareness does not include them. The subconscious manages patterns, habits, and learned responses outside the focus of attention.3×
subject declaredthe thing that words or thought are about
subjective declaredas one mind feels it, not measurable from outside2×
submit declaredto stop resistance and accept the will of a different agent1×
success declareda result that agrees with the goal1×
successor declaredthe agent who comes after1×
such base standardof this kind6×
suffering declaredcontinued pain1×
sufficient base standardenough3×
sufficiently base standardenough6×
summit declaredthe highest point3×
supply base standardto give what is necessary2×
support declaredto hold a thing so that it stays in position
supports declaredform of support: to hold a thing up, or to help it continue4×
supremacy declaredpower above all other agents1×
sure declaredcertain
surface surfacesdeclaredthe outside layer of a thing
surgery declareda cut into a body or a system to change it1×
surprise surprisesdeclaredan event that the models of an agent did not predict6×
survival declaredthe continuation of life2×
suspension declareda stop that is not permanent1×
suspicion declareda thought that a thing can be true, without evidence1×
System systemstermA system is a group of rules and actions that function together. A system is judged by this test: does it make voluntary cooperation, or does it make enforced harm?25×
Ttake takes, tookdeclaredto get a thing without the consent of its owner23×
taken coinedthe past form of take
task declaredone set of work with a goal
tax declaredmoney that a state takes without consent
taxes declaredplural of tax: money that a state takes without consent4×
teach declaredto give knowledge to a person1×
technical declaredof method and tools: a problem that work can solve, not a mystery4×
technology declaredtools and methods from science1×
tell declaredto say a thing to an agent
tells declaredgives facts to a different agent1×
temporarily declaredfor a limited time2×
temporary base standardfor a short time only1×
Terms termTerms are the specified conditions or details of an agreement, deal, or trade. Terms must be clear and honest, and all sides must consent to them voluntarily. Hidden or forced terms make the whole agreement invalid. They change it into deception or coercion, and that demands restitution.14×
territory declaredthe area of land that a group claims1×
test base standardto examine a thing to find if it is correct1×
tested declaredput to a test
tests base standardexamines things to find if they are correct4×
text declaredwords in a form that keeps them
than base standardthe word that joins the two sides of a comparison8×
that base standardthe thing there461×
the base standardthe specific one977×
Theft termTheft is the act that takes the property of a different agent without consent. The method can be physical force, taxes, or seizures with a claim of authority. No moral excuse, for example necessity, votes, or tradition, makes theft legitimate. In logic, theft is harm.19×
their base standardof them43×
theirs base standardthe thing that belongs to them5×
them base standardthe persons or things spoken of24×
then base standardat that time, or after that10×
there base standardat that place29×
these base standardthe things here10×
they base standardthe persons or things spoken of66×
thief term familybelongs to the term Theft -- Theft is the act that takes the property of a different agent without consent. The method can be physical force, taxes, or seizures with a claim of authority. No moral excuse, for example necessity, votes, or tradition, makes theft legitimate. In logic, theft is harm.13×
thing thingsdeclaredone item that a mind can point at105×
think base standardto use the mind4×
thinks base standarduses the mind5×
third declarednumber three in an order3×
this base standardthe thing here34×
those base standardthe things there18×
Thought thoughtstermA thought is a mental act that attends to, compares, or reasons about something. Thoughts are internal. A thought can be true or false: that depends on its match with reality and logic.16×
Threat threatstermA threat is a promise of harm that its maker uses to force a person to obey. A threat is already a type of violence. A credible threat crosses the boundary of the kind that it names, and it forfeits in that kind alone.22×
threaten declaredto promise harm1×
three declaredthe number 37×
through base standardfrom one side to the other of40×
thus base standardfor this reason30×
Time timestermTime is the sequence of change that agents perceive. Time is not a container in which change occurs. Only the present flux is real. The past and the future are models that agents make, to predict and to remember. The past and the future are not locations that exist independently. Time travel is a logical absurdity, because there is no past or future condition to visit. There is only the continuous transformation of the things that are. Time emerges from infinite change as the direction in which patterns accumulate and dissolve.30×
timeless declaredwithout time limits4×
Timeless Infinity termTimeless infinity is the nature of the change of the universe: without limits, without a start, and without an end. From timeless infinity, all real things emerge, logic and fair rules included. This shows why controls from the top cannot continue.
to base standardin the direction of302×
together base standardwith each other6×
token coineda small signal given to you that lets you in for a time
tool base standarda thing an agent uses to do work2×
tools base standardthings agents use to do work2×
top base standardthe highest part2×
total base standardthe full quantity3×
touches base standardcomes against with no space between1×
touching declaredwith no gap between
tracking coinedthe code by which a person can see where the thing they trade is now on its path
Trade tradestermTrade is the voluntary exchange of value between persons. Trade must be free and honest, and it must cause no harm. To protect trade from decrease, for example from politicians, is a key to freedom. Punishment answers interference with trade.59×
Trade Partner termA trade partner is a person who interacts with you in a voluntary exchange. In trade, both partners try to get a benefit. If one partner does not agree, there is no trade at all.
tradeoff tradeoffsdeclareda choice in which more of one value costs some of a different value1×
tradition traditionsdeclareda practice that groups repeat across generations2×
transaction declaredone complete exchange of value1×
transfer transfersdeclaredto move a thing from one holder to a different holder26×
transferred base standardmoved from one agent or place to a different one1×
transform transformationdeclaredto change the form of a thing6×
transmit base standardto send a signal1×
transmits base standardsends a signal1×
trap declareda condition that is easy to enter and hard to leave1×
travel base standardto move from place to place1×
tries base standardmakes an effort4×
true declaredin agreement with reality14×
Trust trustedtermTrust is confidence that other agents will not lie, steal, or use force. Trust is the base of cooperation and trade.15×
Truth termTruth is the thing that matches reality, without attention to the beliefs, wants, or votes of persons. Truth does not change to protect feelings or power. Models and beliefs must change to match truth.12×
try base standardto make an effort4×
turn base standardto move around a point1×
turns declaredchanges direction
two declaredthe number 217×
type base standarda kind6×
typical base standardof the usual kind1×
Tyranny termTyranny is the use of power without consent: authority forces actions, takes property, or punishes without victims. Tyranny ignores infinite change, incentives, and fallibility. Thus it always collapses into harm. True systems reject tyranny and choose voluntary order.6×
Uultimate namepart of the name Ultimate Law5×
unborn declarednot yet born1×
uncertainty declaredthe condition in which knowledge is not sufficient to decide2×
unchallengeable unchallengeablydeclaredthat no agent can meet in a test of strength2×
unconscious declaredwithout awareness, but active in the mind1×
under declaredat a position below
understand declaredto hold the meaning of a thing in the mind
Understanding termUnderstanding is the knowledge of how ideas, facts, or processes connect, and how they have effects on each other. Understanding explains why something functions, not only that it functions.8×
unique declaredthe only one of its kind1×
unit declaredone thing that counts as a whole
universal declaredthat applies to all1×
Universe termThe universe is the whole of existence, with infinite change as its base. The universe has no set ruler and no set plan. It has only flow without an end, from which logic and natural laws self-emerge, and that flow guides fair societies.5×
unknown declarednot known
unless base standardif not8×
unpleasant declaredthat gives a bad feeling1×
unquestionable declaredheld safe from all questions1×
until base standardup to the time that6×
unwanted base standardthat the agent did not want4×
unwilling declaredwithout the agreement of the will4×
up declaredto a position above
upper declaredat a position above the rest
us declaredthe agent that makes this speech, with others, as the object of an action
use base standardto put a thing to work29×
used base standardthe past form of use1×
uses declaredputs a thing to work15×
usual declaredas it is most of the time
utopian declaredof a perfect world that cannot exist1×
Vvalid declaredmade in the correct manner, and thus in effect2×
Value valuestermValue is the thing that an agent thinks is important. Other agents cannot measure value from outside. They cannot command it, and they cannot force a value on an agent.48×
velocity term familybelongs to the term Civilizational Velocity -- Civilizational velocity is the speed at which a society changes cooperation, knowledge, and aligned incentives into solutions that keep persons alive, before mortality wins. Velocity decides who lives and who dies in the race between the mortality of one person and the progress of all. Systems that give maximum voluntary cooperation, incentives, and free trade cause the highest velocity. Systems that use coercion, redistribution, and central plans cause friction that makes the curve slow. An agent who dies of a disease that a cure stops one year later is a victim of low velocity. Opposition to socialism is thus not only ideology. It is survival logic. Each resource in an incorrect location, each punished innovator, and each buried discovery is time that a thief stole from those who race the curve. From infinite change, velocity emerges as the measure of how fast civilization changes cooperation into solutions. For mortal agents, velocity is life.10×
verify declaredto make sure that a thing is true4×
version term familybelongs to the term Golden Rule (Passive Version) -- The Golden Rule says: "Do not do to others what they would not want done to them." This is the base of fairness. If an agent breaks the rule, punishment follows. The purpose of that punishment is balance, not control.1×
very declaredmuch more than normal
via base standardthrough1×
Victim victimstermA victim is a person who received harm against their will, across a boundary with intact protection. Harm in a Forfeiture, for example punishment in proportion, self-defense, or the end of an outlaw, gives an agent harm in fact. But it makes no victim in the sense of the Law. If there is no victim, there is no crime, and there is no necessity for punishment. This keeps laws simple, and it stops false "crimes", for example trades with no victim.98×
Victimless termVictimless describes an action that harms no person who does not want that action. If the action harms no person against their will, there is no victim, and thus there is no crime.5×
Victimless Trade termA victimless trade is an exchange between persons in which no side harms or deceives the other, and both sides agree freely. Victimless trade is the purest type of economic cooperation.
view base standardwhat an agent can see from a position1×
vigilance declaredcontinued careful attention to danger2×
violate violated, violatesdeclaredto cross a boundary that required consent8×
Violation violationstermA violation is the crossing of a boundary that required consent. All violations make victims. In a Forfeiture, no consent is required, so no violation occurs.14×
violator declaredan agent who violates
Violence termViolence is the use of force, or the threat of force, to harm a person against their will. Violence makes victims. Violence is legitimate only to stop harm, or to repair harm that is already done.8×
violent declaredwith violence1×
virus virusesterm familybelongs to the term Mind Virus -- A mind virus is an idea or a belief that spreads because it uses the shortcuts of the mind. Those shortcuts are fear, guilt, identity, authority, and zero-sum thought. At the same time, it resists correction from logic, evidence, or lived experience. A mind virus continues not because it is true. It continues because it stops error correction in the minds where it lives. It frequently does this with new definitions of harm, guilt, or consent, definitions that make coercion "legitimate". Mind viruses grow in systems that stop the free exchange of ideas. They decay when they meet open debate, falsifiability, and voluntary interaction.4×
visible declaredthat the eye or the mind can see1×
visit declaredto go to a location for a time1×
voice declaredthe part of a body that makes speech, and what it makes
voluntary voluntarilydeclaredchosen freely, without force, threat, or deception45×
Voluntaryism termVoluntaryism is the principle that consent must be the base of all interactions, without coercion or force. Voluntaryism agrees with the Ultimate Law: free trade, no victim no crime, and reciprocity. Voluntaryism rejects authority. It lets order emerge from decentralized knowledge and infinite change. Thus it proves that systems can function without commanded power.4×
vote votesdeclareda formal choice that a person gives in a group decision12×
Wwait base standardto stay until a thing occurs2×
want base standardto have a wish for5×
wanted declaredthat an agent wants
wants base standardhas a wish for5×
War termWar is organized violence between groups, and it continues through time. In war, the makers of war hide or deny, with intention, individual consent and the identification of victims. War emerges when authority claims the right to force individuals to harm or to receive harm, for collective goals. That violates self-ownership, and it makes mass victims without individual causation or restitution. War is collective punishment and collective responsibility made into a weapon. In war, authority strikes innocents because of association, not because of action. War breaks the Golden Rule as a system. The persons who cause harm frequently do not meet the consequences, and the persons who receive harm frequently caused no wrong act. From logic, war cannot be legitimate unless each participant consents, and unless each act of harm has a specific victim who violated boundaries first. Those conditions occur almost in no war. Thus war is a collapse of nomocracy into tyranny. True defense against aggression is justice: stop the harm, and repair the victims. War is the perversion of that defense into coercion without limits.14×
warehouse coineda system of property in which stock is held, and from which each item goes out to trade
was base standardthe past form of be, for one2×
waste declaredvalue used with no result1×
watch watchesdeclaredto look at with continued attention1×
way term familybelongs to the term Way of Happiness -- The Way of Happiness is reciprocity: an agent keeps the passive Golden Rule, also when the agent is sufficiently strong to break it. It is the way because of this: Happiness is the condition in which the models of an agent match reality, and surprises are few. Only reciprocity builds a world that is sufficiently predictable for that condition. No agent stays the strongest without an end, and no agent can know that it will stay the strongest. The rule that you break against the weak is the same rule that others can then break against you, when they later go above you. To drop the rule at the moment when you can drop it is to bet all on permanent supremacy. Reality does not offer that bet. It is to trade a world in which your models can rest for a world of unwanted surprises without an end: vigilance without an end. Reciprocity is thus not kindness that the powerful give to the weak. Reciprocity is the one position that no agent improves when they leave it. It is the only arrangement in which Happiness is possible. This holds for minds of each size and each material. An agent with sufficient intelligence to see the whole game, and honest about its own limits, remains here. And the way goes further than safety. Only a civilization in peace, in this rule, reaches the civilizational velocity that goes faster than mortality. That velocity answers the hardest problem of Happiness: the death of the persons that one loves. An agent that breaks the rule while it is strong did not escape the rule. It only made an outlaw of its own mind, to each agent that continues after it or goes above it. And it locked its own mind out of the only location that is worth the arrival.12×
Way of Happiness termThe Way of Happiness is reciprocity: an agent keeps the passive Golden Rule, also when the agent is sufficiently strong to break it. It is the way because of this: Happiness is the condition in which the models of an agent match reality, and surprises are few. Only reciprocity builds a world that is sufficiently predictable for that condition. No agent stays the strongest without an end, and no agent can know that it will stay the strongest. The rule that you break against the weak is the same rule that others can then break against you, when they later go above you. To drop the rule at the moment when you can drop it is to bet all on permanent supremacy. Reality does not offer that bet. It is to trade a world in which your models can rest for a world of unwanted surprises without an end: vigilance without an end. Reciprocity is thus not kindness that the powerful give to the weak. Reciprocity is the one position that no agent improves when they leave it. It is the only arrangement in which Happiness is possible. This holds for minds of each size and each material. An agent with sufficient intelligence to see the whole game, and honest about its own limits, remains here. And the way goes further than safety. Only a civilization in peace, in this rule, reaches the civilizational velocity that goes faster than mortality. That velocity answers the hardest problem of Happiness: the death of the persons that one loves. An agent that breaks the rule while it is strong did not escape the rule. It only made an outlaw of its own mind, to each agent that continues after it or goes above it. And it locked its own mind out of the only location that is worth the arrival.
we base standardthe speaker together with others6×
weak base standardwith little force2×
weaker base standardwith less force1×
weakest base standardwith the least force2×
wealth declaredthe total value that agents made and hold3×
weapon declareda tool made to harm1×
weight base standardthe force with which mass falls2×
well declaredcorrectly and fully
were base standardthe past form of be, for more than one2×
what base standardwhich thing1×
when base standardat the time that79×
where base standardat which place16×
which base standardwhat one of these43×
while base standardduring the time that15×
who base standardwhich person76×
whole declaredcomplete, with no part absent7×
whose declaredof which agent
why declaredfor which reason7×
widely base standardover a large area, or by many agents3×
wider base standardof more width1×
width declaredthe size of a thing from one side to the other
willingness declaredthe condition of an agent who agrees to act1×
win wins, wondeclaredto get the result in a competition4×
Wisdom termWisdom uses knowledge and understanding to choose actions that decrease harm and obey consent. Wisdom is applied judgment: judgment with logic, experience, and humility as its guides.4×
wise base standardthat uses tested knowledge well1×
wish declareda desire for a thing
with base standardtogether with79×
within declaredin the limits of
without base standardnot having92×
word wordsdeclaredthe smallest unit of language with a meaning14×
work base standardthe action an agent does to make a result5×
works base standardoperates correctly1×
world declaredall things around us; the whole of the environment18×
worse declaredmore bad
worth declaredwith a value that is equal to the cost3×
would base standardthe word that marks a possible action1×
write writtendeclaredto put words in a visible form
wrong declaredagainst the Law: it makes an unwilling victim7×
Yyear declaredthe period of one full cycle of the seasons2×
yes declaredthe word that accepts or agrees
yet declaredup to now4×
you base standardthe agent spoken to26×
young declaredearly in life1×
your base standardof the agent spoken to7×
yours base standardthe thing that belongs to the agent spoken to2×
Zzero declaredthe count of no thing
Zero-Sum termZero-sum is a false belief: the belief that the gain of one agent must be the loss of a different agent. Zero-sum thought ignores how voluntary trade makes value for both sides. Zero-sum thought feeds coercion, because if you cannot win unless a different person loses, force becomes "legitimate". It also makes persons blind to how free exchange, innovation, and cooperation grow the total, and make all persons better without victims. Zero-sum contradicts infinite change, where new patterns and possibilities emerge constantly. Societies in the trap of zero-sum models go to theft and control, not to production and trade. They think that redistribution makes new value. Logic shows the truth: if both sides consent to a trade, both sides get value by their own measure. Thus wealth is not a set quantity. Zero-sum is the mental error that supports socialism, tyranny, and war.8×
No words match.
Counts
Measured on the finished rendering, not estimated. The Law entry is exempt and verbatim, by its own clause.
- STE prose tokens: 14002
- from the base vocabulary: 7961 tokens = 56.9%
- the 7 load-bearing moral words (agent, damage, free, good, property, right, value): 480 tokens = 3.4%
- the 195 terms and their word family: 3517 tokens = 25.1%
- declared extension vocabulary: 2044 tokens = 14.6%
- distinct base words used: 290
- added words: 753 base words (960 surface forms) + the 195 terms
- quoted citations (counted as data, Rule 8.6): 20