Members of Los Horcones at a Personocratic General Meeting
|
Members of Los Horcones at a Personocratic General Meeting |
"When we delegate the control of people to political and economic institutions, we relinquish the face-to face control of an equitable government of people by people and it is a mistake to suppose that we recapture it by restricting the scope of those to whom we delegate it."
(Skinner B.F.,1978, Reflections on Behaviorism and Society,p. 9).
All groups -societies- require an organization in order to maintain themselves operating. An effective organization is one where the pro-social behaviors of its members obtain the maximum amount of reinforcers and the minimum amount of aversives. This is to say, one which functions in pro of the survival of the group. To see the meaning of the terms "reinforcers"and "aversives",see Glossary.
Since its very beginning, Los Horcones has experimentally tested various forms of government*, seeking one which maximizes reinforcement and minimizes aversives for pro-social behaviors. We have found that a cooperative, egalitarian, sharing and pacific government is the most appropriate for a communitarian society.
*Generally speaking, to experimentally test a form of government, means implementing the characteristic aspects of a particular form of government in an experimental way and observe its results in the total behavior of the members (citizens). There are various indicators of the appropriateness or inappropriateness of a particular system of government. For example, how much the members of the society (citizens) participate in political affairs (matters related with their community, city, state or country), how satisfied they are when participating in the political decision-making process, how much they cooperate in solving the problems of their community(neighborhood, city, state or country), how much they compete or fight against each other, how much they believe that participating in governmental affairs only means to vote, pay taxes, etc.
We call our form of government:"Personocracy"*.This governmental system was developed in Los Horcones** during the first 9 years and has been implemented and refined ever since.
*We coined the term "Personocracy" in 1982, to name our governmental system. One which takes into consideration each single member of the society and not just the majority like democracy or only a few like in totalitarianism.Personocracy is thus a democracy extended to each and everyone of the members of the society. Personocracy empowers the individual, the person, not the abstract majority.
*Los Horcones can be considered a "political experiment". We coined the term "Political Behaviorology" to denote a subfield of the natural science of behavior devoted to the study of political behavior. We also name "Experimental Politics".
With Personocracy, every person has power.
If you want to know more about Personocracy we have published two articles:
Horcones. Personalized Government: A governmental System based on Behavior Analysis. Behavior Analysis and Social Action,1989, 7, No. 1&2,42-47.This article is updated, but can give you a general idea of Personocracy.
Horcones. Personocracia: Una forma de gobierno basada en la ciencia del análisis de la conducta. Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología,1990,22, No.1, 111-136.
Note: Both articles were written many years ago, so their content is not up-dated.
1. Behaviorally designed.
- Personocracy is designed, taking into consideration data obtained by the science of behavior and in the principles of a behavioristic political philosophy*. This means it is scientifically based. See Science of Behavior. See Behaviorism.
*The behavioristic political philosophy is based on the science of behavior.
- Personocracy is not based on subjective ideas or opinions from philosophers, economists or politicians. It is based on experimental data which have been derived from an experimental analysis of behavior. This is to say, on a scientific understanding of human behavior.
-It analyzes the political practices from a behavioral perspective.
2. Egalitarian.
- It has a flat, non-hierarchical structure. It is integrated by all the members of the society (including people of all races, ages and gender). All members have equal opportunities of participating in governmental functions and this opportunity is constantly open. Governmental positions are open to all members. For example, if a citizen (member) wants to join the team of coordinators in charge of the agricultural area, he or she can join it.
In Personocracy, there are no governors nor governed, all citizens are governors and governed.
The vote of each of the members is decisive in the political decision-making process. Every member has the right to veto a decision. No decision is implemented until every member of the community agrees with it.
Note. If your question is: How large a number of individuals will agree? Please send us a message.
A personocratic government does not have governors who exert political power over the governed. There is not an elite who have the political power and make decisions for the rest, whether they are called planners, mangers, coordinators or organizers. Personocracy is not a representative democracy.
Personocracy means the power of the person (of each individual). Thus, Personocracy is a government by the people as individual persons, not by a group or majority.
- Personocracy prevents the monopolization of political power.
A personocratic structure requires a division of society in various areas of organization such as: education, health, recreation, agriculture, labor, human behavior, ecology, economy, agriculture, etc. One or more members (citizens) are in charge of the coordination of each area. They are called coordinators and are co-responsible with the rest of the members for the proper operation and development of a particular area. Any member (citizen) can become an area coordinator. There can be as many coordinators in charge of one area as there are members interested in that organizational function.
The areas of coordination are always open to any member who want to coordinate. Area coordinators, do not obtain any privileges within or outside the area they organize. For example, the food coordinator will not eat better than the rest of the members.Their function is merely organizational.
3. Cooperative.
- Personocracy is a government that operates in cooperation, as a team. All community members, whether they are coordinators or not, are co-responsible for the functioning of all the areas.
* To be co-responsible of the community's organization imply that all citizens cooperate with the area managers (coordinators) to achieve a proper operation and development of each area (department). When all members are coresponsible, coordinators are not blamed for a deficient organizational area.
-Practices that promote the cooperation of all community members in the organization are implemented. For example, in the main office at Los Horcones, there are clipboards with the name of each area where members can report whatever they think that needs to be done in that area. In this way members cooperate with coordinators in listing the needs of any area (construction, mechanics, recreation, education, economy, agriculture, etc.).
Another example of a practice that promotes citizen participation is the following: In our main office at Los Horcones, there is a large bulletin board divided into sections destined to each member (coordinator or not). There, each member posts a small note describing what he/she agreed to do in our last meeting. The note also includes the deadline to do it. Thus, Robert posted a note:"finding the lowest price of tractor tires." And, marked as a deadline next Saturday. Any member who walks by the office, can look at the board, check the notes and or ask other members if they already checked them. In this way we all cooperate to get things done.
- It has a cooperative decision-making process. All members are welcome to cooperate in reaching the best decision for the community. Area coordinators do not make relevant decisions without consulting the members of the community. Thus, within Personocracy, each citizen is active, not passive about decisions made.
- In a personocratic government, each member has a decisive vote in the decision-making process. The majority does not always have the truth, nor does the minority. A single person can propose something that could have a better result.
When not all the members participating in a decision-making process agree, the decision is withheld to give chance to those who disagree to present the facts to convince the rest or be convinced and reach a mutual agreement.
Note. Because Personocracy teaches members to effectively participate in decision making to achieve to a common benefit, in its practice at Los Horcones we have observed that agreement is rapidly achieved. Exceptions are scarce.
All members are invited to all decision-making meetings. There are no private or closed meetings. Meetings are scheduled at times when all members can attend. However members can decide not to attend. Those who do not want to attend agree to support whatever decision is taken.
Note. The fact that only those who are really interested in the decision to be taken or those who have something to contribute to the best decision, helps to quickly reach agreement.
Decisions taken in a meeting are then publicly posted, to consider the opinion of those who did not attend. In the case where those who did not attend disagree with the decisions taken, they can present their disagreement before the decision is implemented. To avoid this to happening, the community promotes citizen participation in decision making.
An appropriate operation of a personocratic government requires that members (citizens) learn to consider the common good as their own good. If members do not see and feel the community as their own, it is very unlikely they will fully participate in its improvement. Thus, teaching and learning communitarian behaviors and motivation is essential to the appropriate implementation of Personocracy.
Personocracy promotes face-to-face relationships among members who have chosen organizational functions and members who have not. Personocracy is not an elitist government. In a personocratic society, people can simply approach coordinators ("government officers") to speak and present them proposals or complaints. Members who are more directly involved in the organization of the community, are not distant from the rest of the members.
Personocracy do not reduce citizens to "taxpayers", "voters" or "spectators and critics".
4. Sharing Government
- Organizational functions (governmental positions) are shared by all the members.
- The areas of organization can not be monopolized by coordinators. There can be as many coordinators in one area as there are members interested in participating. No member can monopolize a governmental function. Governmental positions are always open to any member who wants to occupy it. This is to say, if a member is interested in a governmental position which is already coordinated by other members, he or she just adds up to the team. The fact that someone wants to participate in the coordination of an area does not imply that the current coordinators must leave their position.
-Area coordinators share information about the organization of a particular area with new coordinators or any other community member who requires it. Coordinators do not monopolize their organizational skills, they are constantly teaching those who are interested.
-Personocracy is a transparent government. Area coordinators periodically hold an open assembly to which all members of the community are expected to attend. In those assemblies, coordinators report what they have done and achieved in their area according to their previous plans. They also report what was not achieved and present their future plans. Coordinators answer questions and write down proposals made by the members during the assembly. Decisions are generally made in an assembly. However when the issue is complex, other meetings need to be held to reach a final decision.
Note. The community belongs to all of us, it is our home and we all take care of it. Deciding not to work directly in the coordination of one of its areas does not forestall us for participating or being informed about its functioning. As members we are all responsible for the organization. Coordinators only help us more directly.
5. Educational Government.
- One of the most important functions of a personocratic government, is to teach members adequate political behaviors (cooperative participation skills, problem-solving skills, communitarian behaviors).
An important aspect of Personocracy is that it is highly educational. Besides training members to become coordinators it teaches participational skills to all members (adults and children). For example, how to effectively participate in planning, how presenting proposals and disagreements in effective ways, how to make decisions cooperatively, etc.
In summary, a personocratic government enables members to become active citizens and to effectively participate in matters that directly affects them. This is in matters of their "polis" (city, community or town).
In a Personocratic Society citizens are not foreign to their city.
They manage themselves their own affairs.
Note.- Since Los Horcones is not yet a community with a large population (for example 500 members) the practices and benefits of Personocracy can not be as clearly observed as they could be observed in a larger group. We invite you to join this social experiment.
Personocracy is a government of all and each one,
for all and each one and by all and each one.
Personocracy = Communitarian Government
Some clarifications of misunderstandings about Personocracy:
1. Personocracy is not anti-democracy*.
It simply takes into consideration each citizen individually and no as a part of a group or majority. Personocracy expand democracy to each and every one of the members or citizens. Personocracy is the radicalization of Democracy.
*Behaviorism is frequently misunderstood as anti-democratic. See Misunderstandings about Behaviorism.
2. A personocratic decision-making system is not the same as decision-making by consensus.
In a personocratic government all members can participate in making decisions. However, not all the members need to be present when a decision is being discussed in a meeting (assembly). Members who are not interested in attending a particular meeting, do not have to attend. We all know that when we decide not to attend a meeting, we are automatically agreeing with whatever decision is made.
3. Personocracy is not just for small communities, it can be implemented in towns, cities.*
Of course, it will require some adaptations. For example,in big cities, citizens can daily participate in political matters (decisions about their community) by using computers, instead of attending assemblies.
* Personocratic Society.
If you want to apply personocratic ideas in the family,education, industry, in a town or village, please contact us. We give workshops on the implementation of personocratic practices in different settings.By asking for these workshops or conference you help us to develop this political experiment.
If you are a political science professor or a politician, who is writing a book or article please quote us. We want to disseminate Personocracy.
We are presently writing a book bout: " Personocracy. A government for people as individual persons." If you want to have information about this book please contact us.
| If you mention what you have read on this page, please cite Los Horcones. You help disseminate information about this Walden Two community. |
Last up-date: April, 2003
Back to Index