The æternity Manifesto

aetrnty (41)in #blockchain • 6 years ago

With this blog post, we introduce the start of the creation of the æternity manifesto. Together with members of the æternity community, we have already started an initial draft at the æpps Summit and we would like to invite you to join us!

The æternity blockchain is an open-source project, fully open to everyone’s collaboration. Beyond being a blockchain, æternity is a movement, with the potential to radically change the world. Since the potential impact of æternity’s technology is so large, we believe it is necessary to be transparent about the intent, motives and views of the people who build and contribute to the project.

What’s in a Manifesto?

In the past few months, the æternity team started to explore the creation of a manifesto. In plain terms, a manifesto, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary is:

“A written statement declaring publicly the intentions, motives, or views of its issuer.”

Somewhat interestingly there are, however, no clear sets of rules when it comes to its actual shape or how it is presented. Some manifestos are long, some are short, some are a set of convictions and some are written as a story. However — as pointed out by the definition above — a manifesto has to entail either the intentions, motives or views of the issuer or a combination of these three. A manifesto is not a marketing tool or a guideline to set strategic goals. A manifesto looks inward and addresses the beliefs and values that a project is driven by.

Asking the Team

We initially began this process by asking all team members that currently work for æternity, about their core values and the reasons why they are working on the project. This resulted in many debates and good conversations. We quickly realized that there were several mutual core values and beliefs that were shared throughout the team. This wasn’t that surprising, as the technology itself and the open-source approach seem to directly lead to the core values of, for example, openness and transparency.

Involving the Community at the æpps Summit

At the æpps Summit, we included the community in creating first drafts, based upon their input and other input gathered so far. We are excited to share with you the video about these efforts and show the initial direction for the æternity manifesto:

Join the Manifesto Creation

Without reaching out to the community as a whole, we cannot finish the manifesto. We have created a dedicated Forum post in which you can share with us your ideas, values, and vision regarding æternity and its manifesto. Since the æternity project is being developed collaboratively, we would also like to create this manifesto with you.