Foundations are the deep principles that hold a society together over time. They shape how people live, solve conflicts, make decisions, and imagine their future. When these foundations are clear and widely shared, communities tend to be more stable, peaceful, and resilient in times of change or crisis.
Below is a refined, science grounded and simple description of the Foundations component that others can build on and localize.
Foundations – Core of a healthy society
Every society stands on a set of shared foundations: beliefs, values, and purposes that guide how people relate to each other, to nature, and to future generations. These foundations show up in constitutions, community charters, cultural norms, and everyday habits.
Research across history, psychology, sociology, and peace studies suggests that societies are more peaceful and resilient when they combine respect for cultural uniqueness with a small set of widely shared human values, such as fairness, care, and dignity for all. Diversity of culture is not a threat to stability; it becomes a strength when communities agree on basic principles for how to treat each other and how to care for their environment.
The list below offers ten foundational factors that many communities, past and present, have found important. It is not a fixed recipe. It is a starting point that you can adapt, expand, or challenge based on your own experience and context.
Ten foundational factors
- Compassion — Caring for others’ suffering builds social safety nets and reduces harm.
- Truthfulness / Transparency — Openness and honesty in information and governance enables trust, accountability, and informed choices.
- Cultural Preservation — Keeping alive local culture and tradition maintains the diversity in each culture flourishing and passage of knowledge to future generations.
- Rule of Law — Laws apply equally and reliably. This stabilizes expectations, protects rights, and supports markets and liberties.
- Solidarity / Social Responsibility — Shared obligation toward the common good and helps during crises.
- Tolerance / Pluralism — Accepting diverse beliefs and identities reduces conflict and unlocks cultural and intellectual exchange.
- Civic Engagement / Participation — People actively take part in public life keeps institutions responsive and rooted in citizens’ needs.
- Sustainability / Stewardship — Long-term care for environment and resources ensures future generations can thrive and avoids resource collapse.
- Empathy / Respect for Human Dignity — Recognizing intrinsic worth of each person underpins humane laws and social cohesion.
- Shared Vision / Common Purpose — A collective narrative or goals that bind people mobilizes cooperation at scale and gives meaning to institutions.
How to Contribute:
This Foundations component is meant to be a living base that communities can build upon. You can help make it more complete and locally relevant by:
- Describing the explicit and implicit foundations of your community or society (e.g., core values in your constitution, local customs, or community agreements).
- Sharing examples where certain values or foundations worked well—and where they caused harm or conflict—so others can learn from both successes and failures.
- Bringing in lessons from history: rise and collapse of past civilizations, transitions from conflict to peace, or movements that expanded rights and freedoms.
- Proposing additional foundational factors that you consider essential (for example: education, spiritual life, scientific inquiry, digital rights) and explaining why they matter.
Over time, these contributions can help create a rich, open reference for communities that are revising their constitutions, designing charters, or simply asking: What should our society stand on?
