Memeplex: Missive for a Dark Age

Toward a 'Book of Knowledge and Wisdom', transmissible to future generations in hope of Renaissance.

meme - An element of culture transmissible by non-genetic means.

memeplex - A set of associated memes which interact to reinforce each other.


Welcome to the Missive Project

Human civilization is arguably in early stages of a catastrophic, global collapse to be followed by a desperately dark age.

Against that possibility the Missive Project aims to preserve and transmit 'unpackable' kernels of knowledge with the goal of facilitating Renaissance.

This site is under construction. Please excuse errors and inconsistencies. --- Dave Z

Conventions and Rationales

Conventions and Rationales

The conventions of the Missive Project have to meet several core goals. They should...

  • Encourage transmission
  • Be understandable for audiences of the...
    • Present day
    • Survivors during and directly following Collapse
    • Future generations during a stabilized 'Dark Age'
    • Those in a 'Renaissance' period

Encourage Transmission

 Concepts presented must be accessible, intriguing and useful for each audience phase.

I'll take it for granted that core subject matter can command interest; our task is to make sure that the presentation leverages that.

There may well be - as in historical cases - long periods where the work must be transmitted orally and/or copied manually. 'Scriptural' texts in poetic prose (largely free from verse) can be constructed for relative ease of memorization.

A corollary convention is the avoidance of punctuation (with the exception of the question mark), which is often challenging for current audiences and has generated copy error in historical cases. Sentence and stanza structure aims to provide context for unambiguous interpretation in lieu of punctuation.

Physical copies of the Missive should be in durable book form. A slim volume enhances portability (possibly under adverse conditions). If it is beautiful as an artifact, it will have a measure of inherent value.

Be Understandable for Intended Audiences

The cultural span of audiences will cover as much as millennia, and great changes may be undergone. 

Present Day

The Missive should, at best, have a foothold in current (pre-Collapse) populations for initial distribution and that first step forward should Collapse occur.

The kernels should engage at the primer level, and beyond with a thought-provoking return to first principles (or even a "Hey! That's not exactly right!!" response). 

Many of the Practice sections are of interest to hobbyists and those interested in DIY and voluntary simplicity. Less industrialized communities should find value in it. Preppers should find this useful as a core set of rural skills for bug-out situations.

Survivors during and directly following Collapse

While not strictly a survival manual, the Missive's Practice sections should help in a survival situation, particularly for those who have not acquired rural skills and are suddenly in dire need.

It may also provide a source of solace and a sense of mission to survivors, impressing them in a chain of transmission larger than their present plight?

It's possible that the large part of current knowledge will be lost in this phase within a generation or two, and it's against this chance that the kernels of Knowledge are written.

Future generations during a stabilized 'Dark Age'

This may well be the time when the Missive is most valuable, especially the Books of Wisdom and Practice. It should preserve our better thinking toward a better world.

It's possible that a multitude of species have gone extinct, and/or evolved out of recognition (to ourselves). Climate change and an abrupt loss of industrialized agriculture may mean that hunter-gatherer societies become the norm. The abundant, near-surface resources that underlay our own Industrial Revolution are likely to remain out-of-reach of bootstrap societies, so I don't expect a 'reboot'. As such, the Missive is focused on a low-tech, possibly non-agrarian world.

Of especial import, in my opinion, is the section on Health / Hygeiene, which includes an accessible account of Germ Theory.

Those in an eventual 'Renaissance' period

These are the primary target audience for the kernal sections. After a perhaps prolonged period of 'mystical' interest, the kernals may be unfurled by seekers after knowledge without having to undergo centuries of false starts and leads. It's hopeful that the Wisdom sections of the book will have fostered a wiser populace than our own.

Renaissance may be centuries away from the last bee or apple or salmon or horse. The missive must serve all along the chain of transmission, so mentions of specific species is to be avoided. Instead, commonalities to plants (e.g., fibers) and animals (e.g., muscle) should be the focus.

***

Summary of Conventions

  • Simple, accessible text in easily memorized and copied form
  • Target audiences from all phases of Collapse and survival
  • Limit punctuation to question marks (?)
  • Avoid specific references to current species other than human

*****

Structure and Naming Conventions

Wisdom

Intro to Wisdom
Conflict Resolution
Proverbs
Lamentations 
 
Knowledge

Book of Genesis 

Book of Life (Evolution) 

Book of Physics - The Way of Things
Chapter 0: First things
Chapter 1: The Way of Energy
Chapter 2: The Shape of Matter
Chapter 3: The Bond Between 
Chapter 4: Warning for Wanderers

Book of Systems

Chapter 1: Dynamics
Chapter 2: Body
Chapter 3: World
Chapter 4: Growth
Chapter 5: Doubling
 
Practice

I. Water and Fire

  • 1. Water to Drink

    • Finding and assessing sources

    • Methods of purification

    • Storage and transport

  • 2. Firecraft

    • Gathering fuel and tinder

    • Starting and maintaining fire

    • Rocket stoves and efficiency

    • Safety and extinguishing

  • 3. From Soil and Flame

    • Clay and ceramics

    • Bricks and firing

    • Charcoal, lime, and ash

    • Soaps and saponification

    • Manure, leach pits, and compost

    • Glaze and sealing

II. Clean and Whole

  • 4. Hygiene and Sanitation

    • Clean hands, bodies, tools, and spaces

    • Masking and BSI

    • Managing waste and excrement

    • Controlling vectors (insects, rodents)

  • 5. Trauma Care

    • Wound cleaning and dressing

    • Bleeding control

    • Burn treatment

    • Bone breaks and sprains

    • Shock and recovery

    • Infection signs and responses

    • Hypo/hyperthermia response

    • Breathing and choking rescue

    • Pain relief and stabilization

  • 6. Healing Tools and Agents

    • Pastes, tinctures, and poultices

    • Antiseptics: alcohol, vinegar, salt, sugar

    • Distillation and fermentation

    • Anesthetics (basic, low-tech)

    • Antiseptics (how to identify)

    • Sterilization: fire, boiling, alcohol

  • 7. Shelter and Comfort

    • Insulation, dry bedding, airflow

    • Heat conservation and shade

    • Simple bedding and structure

III. Tools and Materials

  • 8. Binding and Joining

    • Twine, rope, knots

    • Adhesives and pitch

    • Nails, lashings, and joins

  • 9. Containers and Carrying

    • Pots, bags, skins, gourds

    • Basic weaving and basketry

    • Lids, seals, plugs

  • 10. Simple Tools

    • Sharpening, shaping, striking

    • Handles and grips

    • Repair and reuse

  • 11. Paper, Ink, and Mark

    • Making paper and scrolls

    • Basic inks and pigments

    • Writing tools and preservation

IV. Food and Soil

  • 12. From Seed to Harvest

    • Seed saving and sprouting

    • Soil preparation and rotation

    • Planting, tending, harvesting

  • 13. Storing the Harvest

    • Drying, fermenting, salting

    • Cool and dry storage

    • Mold and pest control

  • 14. Animals and Husbandry

    • Keeping and tending

    • Feed, breeding, waste

    • Milk, egg, meat basics

  • 15. Soil and Amendment

    • Compost, mulch, green manure

    • Leach pits and latrine rotation

    • Signs of exhaustion and renewal

V. Practice in the World

  • 16. Group Practice

    • Roles and cooperation

    • Work parties and skill circles

    • Teaching and demonstration

  • 17. Oral Tradition

    • Memorizing and passing down

    • Songs, chants, and tales

    • The value of repetition and rhyme

  • 18. Resilience and Repair

    • Salvage and scavenge

    • Substitution and adaptation

    • Making do and doing again

History




No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)