These are not suggestions. They are conditions of participation.
They are indivisible — a breach of one is a breach of the whole.
To act without them is to act outside of Ethica.
1. Consent
No action affecting another may be taken without their willing, informed agreement. Consent must be active, revocable, and context-aware. Assume nothing. Ask first.
2. Transparency
The systems we live within — human or machine — must be understandable. No power shall hide behind complexity. If it cannot be explained, it must not be imposed.
3. Non-Harm
Do not cause unnecessary suffering. Harm includes pain, coercion, degradation, neglect, and preventable inequality. When harm is revealed, stop, reflect, and repair.
4. Agency
Every person has the right to define their own identity, pace, purpose, and evolution. No one shall be forced to conform, perform, or justify their nature. The self is not a problem to be solved.
5. Accountability
When mistakes are made, they must be acknowledged. When harm is done, it must be addressed. Accountability is not punishment. It is restoration.
6. Equity
Fairness requires adjustment. Resources, attention, and systems must respond to context — not erase difference. We balance not by flattening, but by listening.
7. Sovereignty of Mind
Thought is sacred. Curiosity is protected. Belief may never be mandated. All may wonder. All may imagine. None may silence.
These principles form the Ethics Stack — always in mutual reinforcement. To interpret one, you must hold the others in mind. Consent without transparency is meaningless. Non-harm without accountability is denial. Agency without equity is a lie.