Dignity as the starting point
This page explains what “dignity” means in the Novus Ignis manifesto and what follows from it: freedom, privacy, protection of attention and principles backed by action. It is a summary of chapter 2 of the manifesto, from which Suveria and Omniforum grow. Each part links to the full text.
What dignity means in the manifesto#
We treat human dignity as a value independent of a person's abilities, productivity, wealth, views and usefulness to others. Everyone is owed respect and a place of their own in the world, also in a future in which digital intelligence might surpass us in ethical reasoning. Ethical conduct remains a direction for working on ourselves, not an exam that entitles us to respect.
The manifesto calls care for dignity love, though everyone can describe it in their own language. Writing in the first person, the founder describes this ethic as “in short, love: care for the dignity of each of us.” We want to translate it into everyday life and cooperation, starting with the digital world.
More: manifesto, chapter 2 and section 1.1.
Freedom also means conscious choice#
From the protection of dignity we derive a person's right to decide about themselves. Freedom is the ability to choose one's own path, with equal respect for the dignity of the people whose lives our actions affect.
Conscious choice requires reliable information. When someone deliberately distorts the picture of a situation or hides relevant circumstances, the decision only looks like ours. That is why we want to make it easier to see the broadest possible picture of an issue, with facts, interpretations, predictions and moral choices clearly distinguished.
It is up to you to decide how much attention you want to give it: you can settle for a short explanation, explore a chosen thread in depth or consciously skip part of the information.
More: manifesto, section 2.1.
Privacy: a home whose door you can close#
Deciding about oneself also includes choosing what we keep to ourselves. We need a place for personal questions, emotions and unfinished ideas. A home of our own whose door we can close is a simple image of this need. This takes on particular importance in conversations with digital intelligence, to which we sometimes describe our most intimate matters.
In technology, this is meant to look as follows:
- The user's own devices are to be the primary place where private materials are stored.
- Conversations, notes and plans are to remain in encrypted containers: collections of data that can only be opened with a key, that is, a secret code known only to the user.
- Storing data on chosen servers, for example for backups, is to be a conscious choice. The data is to be encrypted on the device before it is sent, and the provider is to store it in a form that the provider itself cannot read.
We are working toward full privacy for such a space, including from the service operator, based on safeguards that can be independently verified. For every solution, we will clearly describe the scope of protection, its assumptions and its known limitations.
Today Suveria, which is meant to make this space a reality, is at the design stage.
More: manifesto, section 2.2.
Attention and calm#
Protecting dignity also includes caring about how people experience the world, including in the digital space: we want to reduce the suffering we are able to prevent.
In an experiment on the X platform, changing the visibility of content expressing political hostility affected the feelings of anger and sadness that participants reported while using the service (we cite the study in the manifesto, section 2.3, with a footnote). When a service's success is measured mainly by the number of reactions and time spent in front of a screen, this way of measuring can reward keeping people emotionally stirred up. We want to judge tools by whether they help people understand a situation and make their own decision.
We feel close to the principles of calm technology: tools that ask for only as much attention as their task requires and let you return to your own affairs. Everyone should be able to choose their pace, take a break and stop using the tool. Protecting dignity also includes the right to a life outside technology.
There is room in such a space for anger, sadness and firm opposition as well, because they can help us recognize harm and seek change. We want to support expressing them, and a conversation that makes it possible to clarify an issue, take action or remain with differing positions.
We treat our own communication the same way: you can read the full publications on this site without creating an account, at your own pace.
More: manifesto, section 2.3.
Principles that must work, not just sound good#
We want participants' rights to be backed by the design of the technology, by the organization's public rules and by the possibility of independent verification. The words “private,” “open” and “free” should stand for precisely described properties and terms of use.
| Type of promise | What it requires |
|---|---|
| technical | a verifiable mechanism and a description of its limits |
| organizational | a responsible person and oversight procedures |
| moral choice | a clear justification |
Freedom of use includes the freedom to leave and continue one's work elsewhere. That is why we want to save users' materials in open, documented formats that can be read in other programs.
Shared principles require clear justifications for decisions and the possibility of reporting an error and appealing, and we want to correct the solutions we adopt on the basis of their actual effects.
More: manifesto, section 2.5.
What this means for Suveria and Omniforum#
These principles give rise to two complementary directions: Suveria is to be a private space for thinking, creating and planning with the help of digital intelligence, and Omniforum a shared space for presenting one's reasons and getting to know other perspectives. Today Suveria is at the design stage, and Omniforum has a first prototype under construction. Each person is to choose for themselves what they keep to themselves and what they share with others. See: What is Suveria and What is Omniforum.
More: manifesto, “Where we are today”.
Read it and tell us what you think#
It is worth reading chapter 2 of the manifesto in full. If you think that something else follows from dignity, or that one of the sentences promises too much, highlight that passage and use the “I have a comment” button, or write to salve@novusignis.org.