84 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
84 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
# Modular Politics for Minetest
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Modular Politics is an extension that enables diverse governance processes on multi-user platforms. It offers a library that enables users to create or adapt their own modules that add specific governance functionalities.
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This implementation is a mod for [Minetest](https://minetest.net), a free/open-source voxel game. It is designed to be easily adapted to other multi-user platforms that also employ Lua as an extension language.
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## Design philosophy
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Modular Politics seeks to implement a theoretical framework, also called "[modular politics](https://metagov.org/modpol)," which proposes these design goals:
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* *Modularity*: Platform operators and community members should have the ability to construct systems by creating, importing, and arranging composable parts together as a coherent whole.
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* *Expressiveness*: The governance layer should be able to implement as wide a range of processes as possible.
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* *Portability*: Governance tools developed for one platform should be portable to another platform for reuse and adaptation.
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* *Interoperability*: Governance systems operating on different platforms and protocols should have the ability to interact with each other, sharing data and influencing each other's processes.
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Additionally, Modular Politics seeks to counteract the tendency for "[implicit feudalism](https://ntnsndr.in/ImplicitFeudalism)," according to which rigid, top-down power structures are the norm in online spaces. To this end, some design patterns include:
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* *Groups, not roles*: While most platforms assign powers through particular permissions given to individuals, in Modular Politics, power lies in groups (which Modular Politics calls "orgs").
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* *Consent, not oligarchy*: Rather than assuming that decisions will be made by a few power-holders, the software assumes that consent by all affected users is the norm.
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* *Inheritance, not blank slates*: When a new group is formed, it inherits the patterns of what preceded it, rather than imagining that it is starting from scratch.
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It is certainly possible to use Modular Politics to replicate practices of implicit feudalism, such as all-powerful admins, but doing so requires extra work to overcome these defaults.
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## Installation in Minetest
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To use this in Minetest, simply install it in your `mods/` or `worldmods/` folder. Minetest will load `init.lua`.
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In the game, open the Modular Politics dashboard with the command `/mp`.
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For testing purposes, players with the `privs` privilege (generally admins) can use the `/mp` command, which resets all the orgs and opens a dashboard.
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## Standalone Version on the Command Line
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Modular Politics can also be used independently of Minetest as a command-line tool. Currently command-line use of modpol requires a Unix-style system, but it is intended to become more fully platform independent.
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The command-line version is in the `modpol` subdirectory. To run the program on Unix systems in CLI mode, install lua or luajit and execute the following in this directory:
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```
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$ lua[jit] login.lua
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```
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You can also interact with the interpreter by starting it this way:
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```
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$ lua[jit]
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> dofile("login.lua")
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```
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In the interpreter, for a list of global functions and tables, use `modpol.menu()`.
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## Storage
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By default, a data directory named "data" will be created in this directory. `/data` will contain a log file and serialized program data files.
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Another storage method may be chosen in `modpol.lua`. A StorageRef-based method for Minetest 5.* is included: `storage-mod_storage.lua`.
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## Credits
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This project is led by [Nathan Schneider](https://nathanschneider.info) of the [Media Enterprise Design Lab](https://colorado.edu/lab/medlab) at the University of Colorado Boulder, as part of the [Metagovernance Project](https://metagov.org).
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Contributors include:
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* [Luke Miller](https://gitlab.com/lukvmil) (co-leadership, main control flow, object orientation, module spec)
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* [MisterE](https://gitlab.com/gbrrudmin) (early project refactoring, core feature development)
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* Robert Kiraly [[OldCoder](https://github.com/oldcoder/)] (ocutils.lua, storage-local.lua, project refactoring)
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* Skylar Hew (documentation)
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We are grateful for initial support for this project from a residency with [The Bentway Conservancy](https://www.thebentway.ca/). Read about us in _[The Field Guide to Digital and/as Public Space](https://www.thebentway.ca/stories/field-guide/)_.
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## Contributing
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We'd love to welcome more contributors. Please join the conversation in the [Issues](https://gitlab.com/medlabboulder/modpol/-/issues), our [Matrix.org channel](https://matrix.to/#/#minetest-modpol:matrix.org), and the [Minetest.net forum](https://forum.minetest.net/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=26037).
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Learn more about the project and how to develop your own modules in [the wiki](https://gitlab.com/medlabboulder/modpol/-/wikis/home).
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## Licenses
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* [Project](LICENSE.mt): MIT
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* [Lua Serpent Serializer](serpent/LICENSE.txt): MIT
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