the class of non-optional commons
fundamental shared utilities and enablers of life and civilisation
The group represents fundamental shared utilities and enablers of life and civilisation—resources that must remain universally accessible, as their exclusion or commodification destabilises society.
Rationale for membership
Air – continuous, essential, non-substitutable; required by every living organism.
Water – equally essential, finite in quality though renewable in quantity.
Earth (land/soil) – foundation for habitat and food; cannot be expanded or replaced.
Accommodation (shelter) – derivative of Earth but focused on protection and habitation; a baseline for human dignity and health.
Transport – connective tissue of civilisation; enables access to other fundamentals and participation in society.
Fire (energy) – symbolic and practical of all controlled energy sources; necessary for warmth, cooking, manufacturing, and digital infrastructure.
Extensions implied by the set
Health (care and sanitation) – preservation of life parallels air and water; communal failure harms all.
Information (communication and knowledge networks) – now as foundational to agency as transport once was; without access, civic and economic participation collapse.
Security (safety, justice, conflict resolution) – maintains stable use of all other elements; its breakdown destroys access to the rest.
Food (agriculture, distribution) – derivative of Earth and Water, but operationally distinct and essential for sustenance.
Waste (removal and recycling systems) – implied counterbalance; civilisation’s shadow utility preventing contamination of the other elements.
Together, these form the class of non-optional commons, systems whose universal reliability and shared benefit justify collective, non-exclusive stewardship rather than private exploitation.
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