Guideline: Keep it Simple

The KISS Principle

Keep it simple and straightforward (KISS) has various meanings, but the point often remains the same: Beauty in Simplicity.

Heated debates with an open policy for all viewpoints, perspectives, and contrasting arguments will always be welcomed and encouraged. Such diversity in thought and expression is the very source of our growth and evolution; unity and collaboration builds strength, while division and competition builds weak silos. We teach our kids that divided we fall, then often practice the opposite as adults.

Competition may lead to innovation, sure. Is it the only path to innovation? Of course not! Worse, without reason, wisdom, and collaboration, self-centered competition leads us directly down a path of self-destruction. Just look at the current state of geopolitical affairs, does it not speak for itself? Thank you self-absorbed competition. Time to consider alternatives. We only need to keep our contributions civil, constructive and collaborative.

There will be zero tolerance for indecency andor abuse. Everyone's time is precious; yours and mine included. Let's not waste it away.

Nothing Worthwhile Is Easy to Come by

Collaboration amongst many is exponentially more difficult and may seem exhausting, inefficient andor ineffective - and yet, Wikipedia made it work!

Equally inherently, the more voices join this dialogue, the less biased the Blueprint will be.

Focus on the logic and soundness of the arguments put forward, and the evidence presented to support these views.

Logical fallacies will be flagged. If repeat misleading behaviour becomes evident and ill intentions are underlined, the global community can apply whatever consequences are deemed just and fair, relative to the given situation at hand. I suggest a minimum of 70% agreement before any consequences are applied, ensuring some form of minimal universal agreement.

Not Feeling Able to Join the Conversation?

Free resources are available on sites like Opencourseware.org, Coursera.org and Edx.org if you need to learn the art of collaboration, civility, constructive dialogue and openly rich, fallacy-free rational debate.

Once you're ready, your thoughts will always be welcome on here, no matter who you are or where you currently stand.

Resources That Help Immediately

Some amazing books have been published on the art of constructive dialogue, helping us achieve the conversation we are trying to have via this platform.

Difficult Conversations (1999) is an example of such a book. It suggests that blame, feelings and identity are universal elements that can deteriorate outcomes when left unchecked. Replacing blame with curiosity, impact and contribution, we can stay focused on solutions and constructive problem solving rather than drown in assumptions, projections, and wasteful and destructive exchanges. By exploring our feelings and sharing them openly and transparently, we can better understand one another and aim towards more considerate and fair negotiations. By avoiding absolute terms to describe complex identities, and by letting go of our own limiting self-perception, we can overcome our tendencies to control people's reactions to what we say or do.

Difficult Conversations (1999) was written by Douglas Stone (Negotiation and Communication Expert, Lecturer at Harvard Law, Co-founder of the Triad Consulting Group), Bruce Patton (Co-founder of the Harvard Negotiation Project, Founder of Vantage Partners), and Sheila Heen (Lecturer at Harvard Law, Co-founder of the Triad Consulting Group, Mediator at the Singapore Supreme Court)

OnlineStatBook (mobile-friendly version) is another such tool, freely available to anyone, and authored by gracious thinkers and mathematicians from our modern times. It teaches us the art of logic behind arguments and how to provide or validate supporting evidence. From their site: "..let us invite you to reform your statistical habits from now on. No longer will you blindly accept numbers or findings. Instead, you will begin to think about the numbers, their sources, and most importantly, the procedures used to generate them. We have put the emphasis on defending ourselves against fraudulent claims wrapped up as statistics" ("Importance of Statistics", Hebl).

Online Statistics Education: A Multimedia Course of Study (http://onlinestatbook.com/). Project Leader: David M. Lane, Rice University.