David Friedel
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- Declaration of Human Dignity with 11 translations - American Democracy Protection Framework with 19 bills - Cassandra Amendment for long-term foresight - Unified website for mutual-flourishing.org
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Key Philosophical Influences
This declaration draws from multiple philosophical traditions, attempting dialogue rather than synthesis.
Indigenous Philosophies
Reciprocity and Relationship
- Seven Generation Principle (Haudenosaunee): Decisions should consider impacts seven generations into the future
- Buen Vivir (Andean): Living well in harmony with community and nature, not living better at others' expense
- Country as Teacher (Aboriginal Australian): Land as conscious partner teaching through relationship
Collective Identity
- Recognition that individual and community are not separate but interdependent
- Rights and responsibilities as inseparable
- Healing as collective, not just individual process
African Philosophies
Ubuntu
"I am because we are" - humanity achieved through others, not despite them. Key principles:
- Personhood earned through ethical relation
- Restorative over punitive justice
- Community wellbeing as prerequisite for individual flourishing
Sankofa
Looking back to move forward - learning from history while building future. The declaration's emphasis on historical repair reflects this wisdom.
Asian Philosophies
Confucian Harmony
- Ren (仁): Benevolence, the foundation of human relationships
- Li (礼): Right relations and rituals that maintain social fabric
- Balance between hierarchy and mutual obligation
Buddhist Interbeing
- Pratītyasamutpāda: Dependent origination - nothing exists independently
- Karuṇā: Compassion as recognition of shared suffering
- Ahimsa: Non-violence toward all beings
Daoist Balance
- Wu Wei: Acting in accordance with natural patterns
- Yin-Yang: Complementary rather than oppositional forces
- Dynamic balance rather than static perfection
Islamic Traditions
Justice and Stewardship
- Adl: Justice as balance and putting things in rightful place
- Khalifa: Humanity as steward/trustee of creation
- Ummah: Global community of mutual obligation
Rights and Duties
- Every right accompanied by corresponding duty
- Special protection for vulnerable (orphans, poor, travelers)
- Zakat: Obligatory sharing as purification
Western Philosophies
Enlightenment Liberalism
- Natural rights inherent to human reason
- Social contract theory
- Individual autonomy and dignity
- Critique: Often ignored its own contradictions (slavery, colonialism)
Critical Theory
- Power analysis in rights discourse
- Exposure of hidden domination
- Emancipation through consciousness
- Contribution: Understanding how rights can mask oppression
Feminist Ethics
- Ethics of Care: Relationships over abstract principles
- Standpoint Theory: Knowledge from marginalized positions
- Intersectionality: Multiple, overlapping identities and oppressions
Environmental Philosophy
- Deep Ecology: Intrinsic value of all life
- Ecofeminism: Parallel domination of women and nature
- Land Ethic (Aldo Leopold): Community includes soil, water, plants, animals
Latin American Philosophies
Liberation Theology/Philosophy
- Preferential Option for the Poor: Justice measured by treatment of most vulnerable
- Praxis: Theory emerges from struggle, not abstraction
- Conscientization (Paulo Freire): Critical consciousness through dialogue
Decolonial Thought
- Coloniality: Ongoing patterns of power from colonialism
- Border Thinking: Knowledge from the margins
- Pluriversal vs universal: Many worlds, not one world with many views
Synthesis Attempts in This Declaration
Rather than hierarchy or synthesis, this declaration attempts:
- Dialogue: Let different traditions speak without forcing agreement
- Complementarity: Recognize different truths for different contexts
- Minimum Overlap: Find shared ground without erasing difference
- Creative Tension: Use disagreement productively
- Epistemic Humility: Acknowledge limits of any single tradition
Key Tensions Acknowledged
- Individual vs Collective: Both/and rather than either/or
- Universal vs Particular: Universal spirit, particular practice
- Rights vs Responsibilities: Inseparable aspects of dignity
- Human vs Nature: Expanded community including Earth
- Present vs Future: Obligations across time
- Ideal vs Real: Aspiration grounded in current struggle
What's Different
This declaration differs from predecessors by:
- Not claiming singular philosophical foundation
- Explicitly addressing historical harm
- Including Earth as stakeholder
- Balancing rights with responsibilities
- Acknowledging need for local translation
- Seeing itself as provisional, not final
Ongoing Questions
- Can true universalism emerge from dialogue rather than domination?
- How do we honor difference without relativism?
- What obligations do we have to traditions we've harmed?
- How do we include voices of future and more-than-human?
- Can law capture wisdom, or does it always reduce it?
This document continues to evolve as more traditions enter the conversation.