The Origin Framework
The Origin Framework maps the domains we are actively exploring as we imagine and prototype post-coercive systems of coordination.
Origin is not a finished system and not a single organization. It is an ongoing attempt to understand what kinds of structures, agreements, and cultural norms might support a more voluntary, humane, and coherent way of living together.
The framework below outlines the domains we are actively exploring. Some are practical, some cultural, some deeply human. All are necessary.
This is not a roadmap with deadlines. It is a living map – shaped by practice, dialogue, and real-world experimentation.
| a. Identity & Reputation | How do we recognize one another without surveillance or forced disclosure? We explore ways to build trust, continuity, and accountability while preserving privacy, autonomy, and the right to evolve. |
| b. Credentialing & Authority | Who is trusted, and why? We question inherited forms of authority and examine peer validation, lived experience, and demonstrated wisdom as alternatives to centralized certification. |
| c. Dispute Resolution & Arbitration | Conflict is inevitable. The question is how we meet it. We explore restorative, peer-based approaches that move beyond adversarial legalism toward repair, learning, and coexistence. |
| d. Incorporation / Entity Formation | Some bridges to existing systems are unavoidable. We investigate legal and organizational forms – co-ops, trusts, DAOs – that allow coordination without coercion or rigid hierarchy. |
| e. Contracting & Agreement | Agreements are not just code or paperwork. We explore human-readable, emotionally intelligent ways of making commitments, where norms, intent, and relationships matter as much as enforcement. |
| f. Legitimacy & Consensus | How does a group remain coherent without domination? We explore voluntary affiliation, fluid participation, and “soft consensus” models that allow disagreement without fracture. |
| g. Assets & Value | What do we actually value? Beyond money, we examine time, attention, care, land, and social trust – and how to support regenerative rather than extractive economies. |
| h. Education | Learning does not end with schooling. We explore lifelong, purpose-driven education that cultivates discernment, responsibility, and the ability to think – not just to comply. |
| i. Sense-Making | In a noisy world, truth is fragile. We investigate tools and practices for collective sense-making, deliberation, and decision-making that resist manipulation and polarization. |
| j. Language | Language shapes reality. We examine how words are used, distorted, and weaponized – and how shared meaning can be restored through careful definition and dialogue. |
| k. Symbols | Symbols quietly anchor culture. We explore the role of ritual, art, gesture, and shared aesthetics in creating belonging without indoctrination. |
| l. Care & Health Systems | How do we care for one another across distance and difference? We explore peer-based care, emotional support, and community health beyond institutional dependency. |
| m. Governance Interfaces | Governance is not just voting. We explore how people interact with decision-making systems – roles, processes, and interfaces that remain legible and humane. |
| n. Stewardship Models | Ownership extracts; stewardship sustains. We explore ways of caring for land, systems, and people that prioritize responsibility over control. |
| o. Cultural Protocols | Diversity without fragmentation requires skill. We explore shared norms and protocols that allow difference while preserving mutual respect and coherence. |
| p. Time & Contribution Systems | True participation must remain voluntary. We explore ways of contributing that allow entry, exit, rest, and dissent without penalty. |
| r. Memory & History | Movements live through story. We explore how collective memory is kept, who curates it, and how history shapes identity across generations. |
Many of the questions explored here are informed by lived practice.
See Practices.
Contributing
If one or more of these domains resonates with your experience, curiosity, or practice, we welcome conversation.
Contribution does not require full alignment, constant presence, or formal roles. Listening, questioning, experimenting, and caring are all valid forms of participation.
If you feel called to engage, reach out.