{"id":36631,"date":"2026-04-23T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ownyourgov.org\/?page_id=1001"},"modified":"2026-04-23T14:44:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T21:44:52","slug":"a-way-out-of-the-hobbes-trap-and-wwiii","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ownyourgov.com\/?page_id=36631","title":{"rendered":"A Way Out of the Hobbes Trap\u2014and WWIII"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\n
\n\n\n
\n\n\n
\n\n

GLOBAL USE CASE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Way Out of the Hobbes Trap\u2014and WWIII<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Human systems have traditionally organized through dominance. Coordinated Action Networks introduce a practical way to align independent actors around sustainable goals at societal scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Watch the Statement<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Read the Argument<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VIDEO_ID\n<\/div>
Replace VIDEO_ID with your final YouTube video URL.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n\n

The Structural Problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Human systems have traditionally organized through dominance, as Thomas Hobbes observed in his distinction of the Leviathan state. Thanks to information technology, we are now subject to the machinations of a myriad of Leviathans: corporations; agencies of cities, counties, states, and nations; industrial and trade associations; financial, healthcare, and insurance institutions; and a growing number of billionaires, whose power compounds through wealth and influence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Leviathans often work together for mutual value, but they are rarely aligned with sustainable principles, and are mostly focused on increasing their relative position in terms of GDP, market capitalization, or share price. This optimization for economic growth overrides concerns about the impact of their efforts on the sustainability of society or the environment. An increase in share price or a relatively larger share of a market is treated as success, even when it contributes to climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Coordination does not emerge around sustainable goals\u2014not because it is not possible, but because it would be inconvenient if it did not improve share price.<\/p>\nThat is the system working as designed.<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n\n
\n

Observed Pattern<\/h3>\n\n\n

Large systems organize effectively, but optimize for relative position rather than long-term viability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Missing Capability<\/h3>\n\n\n

Humanity has learned to organize at scale, but not to coordinate at scale around sustainable principles.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Present Opportunity<\/h3>\n\n\n

Modern communication now makes such coordination feasible\u2014if incentives can be made visible and alignment can be measured.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n

The Response: Coordinated Action Networks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Coordinated Action Networks (CAN) provide the missing mechanism: visible, shared alignment that allows independent actors to coordinate without surrendering position, making stability more valuable than conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CAN does not depend on domination. It makes priorities visible, reveals alignment, and supports coordinated action across independent communities and institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n

See<\/h3>\n\n\n

Make real priorities, consequences, and points of alignment visible.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Decide<\/h3>\n\n\n

Build measurable consensus across independent actors without central control.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Act<\/h3>\n\n\n

Coordinate implementation around sustainable goals rather than relative gain alone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\n

CLOSING<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The capability exists. The question is whether we align it with sustainable goals.<\/h2>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Global Use Case: A Way Out of the Hobbes Trap\u2014and WWIII<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-36631","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ownyourgov.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ownyourgov.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ownyourgov.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ownyourgov.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ownyourgov.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36631"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ownyourgov.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36664,"href":"https:\/\/ownyourgov.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36631\/revisions\/36664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ownyourgov.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}