Added an Asciidoc compile script and made some format changes.

Author: LiteraryWho

…cepts/Core/01 - Social Associations.adoc …cepts/Core/01 - Social Associations.adocA Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/01 - Social Associations.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/01 - Social Associations.adoc A Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/01 - Social Associations.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/01 - Social Associations.adoc

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-= Private Social Associations
+== Private Social Associations
 
 A PSA, or Private Social Association, is a business intended to provide the essential services of government without relying on the power of the state, or more specifically, on violence.  To be specific, it is meant to provide a mechanism of trust between unknown parties, or for matters which are too impactful to rely only on the reputations of the involved.
 

…cepts/Core/02 - Staking Association.adoc …cepts/Core/02 - Staking Association.adocA Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/02 - Staking Association.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/02 - Staking Association.adoc A Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/02 - Staking Association.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/02 - Staking Association.adoc

@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+<<<
+== Staking Associations
+
 A Staking Association is a kind of Private Social Association which uses productive assets as the underlying guarantee for the good behavior of its members.  More specifically, it acts as a holding company for the assets of some given association, and those assets are then held by the association for the duration of the relevant contract.  To further elaborate, allow me to provide a short hypothetical scenario.
 
 Alice is interested in renting an apartment from Bob.  Bob, not being familiar with Alice, and not willing to risk that she might damage his property without paying for the repairs (or perhaps abscond with the appliances), would prefer to have some means of securing responsible behavior from her.  To this end, he requires her lease to be handled through an association.
@@ -14,4 +17,4 @@ I see two ways a Staking Association might operate.  In one, the assets under th
 
 The other way is that a Staking Association would prefer to clear its debts immediately, and would liquidate a member’s stake to pay for damages immediately.  This would work best for things like stocks and bonds, which are easier to sell.
 
-I cannot say which strategy would prove dominant, as it comes down to what customers prefer, as well as what models can be made profitable.  I would guess, at least, that the former would be more popular, and may have some desirable properties if broadly applied.  In particular, if a stake is useable for multiple contracts, or as a general guarantee of responsibility, then the prospect of reclaiming ownership of it might work as an incentive to remain invested in society for individuals with severe transgressions against it.
+I cannot say which strategy would prove dominant, as it comes down to what customers prefer, as well as what models can be made profitable.  I would guess, at least, that the former would be more popular, and may have some desirable properties if broadly applied.  In particular, if a stake is useable for multiple contracts, or as a general guarantee of responsibility, then the prospect of reclaiming ownership of it might work as an incentive to remain invested in society for individuals with severe transgressions against it.

…epts/Core/03 - Standing Association.adoc …epts/Core/03 - Standing Association.adocA Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/03 - Standing Association.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/03 - Standing Association.adoc A Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/03 - Standing Association.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/03 - Standing Association.adoc

@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+<<<
+== Standing Associations
+
 A Standing Association is a kind of PSA which uses a combination of reputation and perks to secure good behavior from its members, and collects dues in order to generate revenue.  It could be described as a hybrid between an insurance company and a fraternity.  To illustrate how one might operate, consider the following example.
 
 Alice is a member of Alpha Association, where she receives many benefits, such as insurance, access to exclusive clubs, counseling, coaching, and various other services, as well as Alpha’s guarantee to other parties (up to a substantial limit) that she will make good on her word.  In order to reach this level with them, Alice has spent several years working towards it, investing her time into the association to prove that she values her membership.  She has also agreed to maintain a certain standard of behavior.
@@ -12,4 +15,4 @@ If Alice values her position in Alpha, and finds the terms to be reasonable, she
 
 It is unlikely this other association will be unaware of Alice’s prior behavior, especially because Alpha has a financial interest in informing them.  How they react will depend on the terms and nature of this association, but at the very least, Alpha will pursue Alice for her debt to them.  At this point the matter can either be handled by some procedure of the association, or can be taken to the  PSA Council for moderation.  In any case, Alice will not have escaped responsibility for her actions.
 
-It is in fact likely that by leaving Alpha, Alice will have endured a far greater personal loss than she would have by simply staying with them, so this scenario is unlikely to occur regularly.  The most likely cause is actually that Alpha had unreasonable expectations on her, but an association that regularly mistreats its members is unlikely to endure for long.
+It is in fact likely that by leaving Alpha, Alice will have endured a far greater personal loss than she would have by simply staying with them, so this scenario is unlikely to occur regularly.  The most likely cause is actually that Alpha had unreasonable expectations on her, but an association that regularly mistreats its members is unlikely to endure for long.

…cepts/Core/04 - Staking vs Standing.adoc …cepts/Core/04 - Staking vs Standing.adocA Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/04 - Staking vs Standing.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/04 - Staking vs Standing.adoc A Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/04 - Staking vs Standing.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/04 - Staking vs Standing.adoc

@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
+<<<
+== Staking vs Standing
+
 There are only two broad categories of associations I can think of, staking and standing.  I won’t say there can’t possibly be other types, and there is plenty of space under either umbrella for innovation.  I also can do no more than speculate which kind, if any, will ultimately emerge as the more popular type.  There is reason to suppose both kinds fill different niches, and thus will coexist indefinitely.
 
 Anyway, here’s a comparison between them.
+
 	Standing Associations:
 1) can offer lots of perks
 2) benefits from being exclusive
@@ -19,4 +23,4 @@ Anyway, here’s a comparison between them.
 6) may require separate/additional stake for any given use case
 7) likely caters to the poor and possibly to businesses
 
-My guess is that standing associations will be more prominent in a “mature” associative society, whereas staking associations will be most useful during the transition away from the state.  In terms of what the world will ultimately look like, I can only guess, but I suspect standing associations will be the kind of thing everyone has, as a prerequisite for living in a city, whereas staking associations will have more niche applications, in particular with regards to contracts and business deals. 
+My guess is that standing associations will be more prominent in a “mature” associative society, whereas staking associations will be most useful during the transition away from the state.  In terms of what the world will ultimately look like, I can only guess, but I suspect standing associations will be the kind of thing everyone has, as a prerequisite for living in a city, whereas staking associations will have more niche applications, in particular with regards to contracts and business deals.

…on/1 - Concepts/Core/05 - Contracts.adoc …on/1 - Concepts/Core/05 - Contracts.adocA Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/05 - Contracts.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/05 - Contracts.adoc A Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/05 - Contracts.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/05 - Contracts.adoc

@@ -1 +1,4 @@
-With associations, contracts are still really just contracts.  I think it’s likely many of them will be handled by staking associations, simply because they offer a pretty strong guarantee against unpaid damages.  The only important thing to note is that if someone breaks a contract, it’s on the association to handle it, but no one ever goes after anyone with a gun.  It would, in fact, be a breach of standing against the aggrieved party if they initiated violence against someone over a broken contract.
+<<<
+== Contracts
+
+With associations, contracts are still really just contracts.  I think it’s likely many of them will be handled by staking associations, simply because they offer a pretty strong guarantee against unpaid damages.  The only important thing to note is that if someone breaks a contract, it’s on the association to handle it, but no one ever goes after anyone with a gun.  It would, in fact, be a breach of standing against the aggrieved party if they initiated violence against someone over a broken contract.

…on/1 - Concepts/Core/06 - Mediation.adoc …on/1 - Concepts/Core/06 - Mediation.adocA Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/06 - Mediation.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/06 - Mediation.adoc A Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/06 - Mediation.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/06 - Mediation.adoc

@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+<<<
+== Mediation
+
 A mediator is anyone who is considered reasonably impartial and sufficiently knowledgeable on a given dispute that the parties involved will find their decision acceptable.  It is likely that most mediators will work for/be accredited by the PSA council, although it is entirely possible for an association to have internal mediators for disputes between members.  There is also nothing stopping someone from being a wholly independent mediator, except for the part where they need to be trusted by both parties (and their decision needs to be respected).
 
 In general, though, I would consider mediators to largely handle disputes at the association v. association level, rather than concerning themselves with the affairs of individuals.  This is because of how their “mediation power” works, that is, it’s also purely associative.  The PSA Council “enforces” the decisions of its mediators by expelling from the council any association which refuses to accept a judgement.
@@ -6,4 +9,4 @@ Once expelled from a council, an association’s members would no longer be cons
 
 In any case, it is to the PSA Council’s benefit (and likely to associates in general) for there to be only one PSA Council, so they should minimize any temptation to form a competitor.  It is also very unlikely for moderation to “get it right” the first time, every time.  Given this, a system of appeals would be valuable.  Although the design will ultimately come down to the PSA Council itself, my suggestion is to create a three tier system.  At the bottom are PSA Council accredited mediators, above them is the PSA Council itself (i.e. the group of people who run it), and finally it can be taken to the member associations.
 
-The last stage could be done by vote, or as something like a jury, though I will propose a hybrid of the two.  The PSA will select (probably at random) some small number of member associations who vote for or against the judgement.  All the other member associations will be assumed to abstain, but may offer an aye or nay if they so choose.  If the judgement is rejected it would be kicked back down to a different mediator.  It might also be worth wile to allow the “jury” to offer their own judgement as well, which would then be an additional option to vote on.
+The last stage could be done by vote, or as something like a jury, though I will propose a hybrid of the two.  The PSA will select (probably at random) some small number of member associations who vote for or against the judgement.  All the other member associations will be assumed to abstain, but may offer an aye or nay if they so choose.  If the judgement is rejected it would be kicked back down to a different mediator.  It might also be worth wile to allow the “jury” to offer their own judgement as well, which would then be an additional option to vote on.

…/1 - Concepts/Core/07 - PSA Council.adoc …/1 - Concepts/Core/07 - PSA Council.adocA Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/07 - PSA Council.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/07 - PSA Council.adoc A Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/07 - PSA Council.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/07 - PSA Council.adoc

@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+<<<
+== PSA Council
+
 The PSA Council is intended to act as an association of associations, so different PSA firms can operate in the same geographical area seamlessly, without needing to negotiate separate contracts for every competing firm.  Its primary means of accomplishing this will be in designing and administering a Dispute Protocol, or the procedures for dealing with a dispute between members of different associations.
 
 It will be generally preferable for the Council (in a business sense) for the protocol to be simple, and to appeal to a broad and unifying principle, so that it can have as many member associations as possible.  My proposal is to use personal responsibility as that principle, as it is an attribute everyone wants neighbors and business partners to possess.
@@ -16,4 +19,4 @@ If Alpha Association were to decide not to respond to a call for mediation, or t
 
 To elaborate, suppose Alice, still a member of Alpha, works at some firm owned/operated by a member of a different association.  If Alpha is dropped from the PSA Council, then her employer will likely require Alice to join a different association to continue working.  This will not be especially difficult for Alice, so she will likely comply, and cease her membership with Alpha.
 
-Although the nature of Alpha may introduce some complications (Standing vs Staking, for instance), in general this will be very bad for Alpha’s business, as unless they are an absurdly large association (in which case it is unlikely for her to have found a member of a different association to damage in the first place), Alice’s situation will likely hold true for the majority of their members.  Without members, an association will have no revenue, and with no revenue, they can pay no employees, and with no employees, they will not exist.
+Although the nature of Alpha may introduce some complications (Standing vs Staking, for instance), in general this will be very bad for Alpha’s business, as unless they are an absurdly large association (in which case it is unlikely for her to have found a member of a different association to damage in the first place), Alice’s situation will likely hold true for the majority of their members.  Without members, an association will have no revenue, and with no revenue, they can pay no employees, and with no employees, they will not exist.

…n/1 - Concepts/Core/08 - Principles.adoc …n/1 - Concepts/Core/08 - Principles.adocA Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/08 - Principles.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/08 - Principles.adoc A Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/08 - Principles.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/08 - Principles.adoc

@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+<<<
+== Principles
+
 In order for different associations to interact (as in through the PSA Council), it will be helpful for them to have a group of shared principles.  The actual makeup of those principles will ultimately be a question of consumer desire, as well as what can be made to work.  Nevertheless, I offer these principles as a suggested starting point.  I will also not that it is likely people with wildly different principles will need to be geographically separated, or at least will need to fall under a different PSA Council.
 
 In any case, the one’s I feel will best work for the widest number of people are responsibility, property rights, and respecting self-defense.  Of the three, the first is likely the most important, as it assures people that unknown parties they encounter in their day to day life are responsible for their choices.  By responsible, I mean they possess a willingness to provide restitution in the event their actions cause some unintended (or intended) harm to another party.
@@ -8,4 +11,4 @@ The final principal I consider important is respect for the right of self-defens
 
 For self defense, I would actually suggest a fairly broad view of it.  For instance, if some horde of barbarians was attacking a neighboring city, and could reasonably considered likely to continue their conquest for the present city at a later date, the members of that horde could not file claims against the residents of that city should they organize a force and attack preemptively.  The horde would essentially be considered responsible for the violence against them, on accounts of the violence they were perpetrating against others.
 
-The exact degree to which that applied to vary a lot, I’m sure, and possibly change over time.  Of course, I consider it extremely unlikely any kind of barbarian horde could actually form, but still, I think the principle could be applied to more mundane situations as well.
+The exact degree to which that applied to vary a lot, I’m sure, and possibly change over time.  Of course, I consider it extremely unlikely any kind of barbarian horde could actually form, but still, I think the principle could be applied to more mundane situations as well.

…1 - Concepts/Core/09 - PSA Protocol.adoc …1 - Concepts/Core/09 - PSA Protocol.adocA Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/09 - PSA Protocol.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/09 - PSA Protocol.adoc A Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/09 - PSA Protocol.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/09 - PSA Protocol.adoc

@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+<<<
+== PSA Protocol
+
 This is just a list of random suggestions I have for the PSA Protocol, which, to be clear, is the rules for how associations interact with each other, and the set of common principles which all member associations agree to hold.  It is designed by the PSA Council.
 
 Anyway, on to the suggestions, in no particular order (hopefully I end up with more than two, lol).
@@ -11,4 +14,4 @@ For instance, if Alice had park rangers patrolling the forest, scientists studyi
 
 The purpose of this is to discourage people from squatting on valuable property without putting it to good use, while still allowing people who value nature to be able to do something about it.
 
-3) It might be best to require or encourage in some way soldiers/guards/etc. to be part of a Staking Association.  This gives society significant leverage, which should encourage responsible behavior.
+3) It might be best to require or encourage in some way soldiers/guards/etc. to be part of a Staking Association.  This gives society significant leverage, which should encourage responsible behavior.

…ton/1 - Concepts/Core/10 - Vendetta.adoc …ion/1 - Concepts/Core/10 - Vendetta.adocA Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/10 - Vendetta.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/10 - Vendetta.adoc A Blueprint For Associaiton/1 - Concepts/Core/10 - Vendetta.adoc renamed to A Blueprint For Association/1 - Concepts/Core/10 - Vendetta.adoc

@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+<<<
+== Vendetta
+
 Vendetta is a concept roughly analogous to how, in the present system, the police will (in theory) seek restitution on your behalf in the event you are incapacitated/killed (or simply can’t be bothered, I suppose), even if you have no heirs or interested parties.  In a sense, the modern state could be said to take unto itself all vendettas on your behalf without asking.  It does… a job at it.
 
 In association, vendetta is meant to take that implied coverage, and make it explicit.  The exact economics of the arrangement will come down to consumer preferences and the ability of entrepreneurs to make money while doing it.  Nevertheless, I will offer a suggested payment strategy: the firm with your Vendetta will take some percentage of the restitution in exchange for their services.