Reading edition with commentary
The manifesto
The chapters follow the argument of the original. The commentaries explain terms and examine objections.
Choose a reading edition
The commentaries below summarise and discuss the eight principles. The full text contains the introduction, all eight chapters and the conclusion.
- 01 · PDF pp. 5–13
Community as the foundation of human life
Freedom develops through relationships with others. Protecting it therefore requires attention to the conditions under which people care for one another and live together.
Open annotated chapter - 02 · PDF pp. 14–24
Freedom and equality as a common ideal
Equal freedom requires more than identical rights. People must be able to exercise those rights under different living conditions.
Open annotated chapter - 03 · PDF pp. 25–40
Control as a tool, never as a master
Crises may require joint decisions under pressure. They must not create a permanent authority to rule over others without effective challenge.
Open annotated chapter - 04 · PDF pp. 41–50
Human beings as adaptable and cooperative
The proposal assumes that people are capable of cooperation. It does not assume that they always cooperate or stop pursuing their own interests.
Open annotated chapter - 05 · PDF pp. 51–57
Federated self-government of free communities
A federation is meant to connect local self-government with binding cooperation. It must be clear which level can decide and how its authority can be limited.
Open annotated chapter - 06 · PDF pp. 58–101
A guild-based, non-exploitative economy
The manifesto proposes an economy of democratic guilds. Production would respond to social needs while respecting the ecological conditions on which it depends.
Open annotated chapter - 07 · PDF pp. 102–104
A pluralist and anti-racist society
A common political order must be open to people with different convictions. Belonging cannot depend on ancestry or cultural assimilation.
Open annotated chapter - 08 · PDF pp. 105–116
An internationalist movement for global liberation
Local autonomy cannot solve global problems alone. The manifesto proposes a cross-border federation whose common powers remain justified and limited.
Open annotated chapter