Constitution Draft v2.2 — Unratified. This article is the proposed canonical topology of the Circle system for Founder review.
Section 17.01 — Circle Classes
The Circle system distinguishes authority by source, breadth, duration, and boundary without creating a pyramid of human dignity.
- Foundational Circles hold irreducible, society-wide constitutional mandates requiring continuous operation, distinct jurisdiction, independent public accountability, and peer coordination.
- Operational Circles implement a bounded Charter or Codex mandate and remain within the limits of that instrument.
- Councils are coordinating and representative bodies with independent domain authority within their Circle.
- Temporary Rings address a crisis or defined project and dissolve automatically when their purpose or lawful term ends.
Section 17.02 — The Seven Foundational Circles
- Contribution
- Sectors, reciprocal labor, contribution pathways, renewal, retraining, and protected rest.
- Learning
- Education, mentorship, evidence literacy, public knowledge, archives of learning, and lifelong inquiry.
- Healing
- Individual and public health, medical ethics, bodily autonomy, care access, provider standards, privacy, consent, and health education under Article VIII and the Healing Charter.
- Harmony
- Harm, restoration, mediation, procedural justice, and peaceful dispute resolution under the Harmony Charter and Restoration Codex.
- Custodianship
- Land, ecology, infrastructure, energy, water, transport, housing systems, public technical systems, and archival preservation.
- Balance
- Systemic capacity, equilibrium, resource conflicts, Continuance review, long-range risk, and competing civic needs under the Balance Charter.
- Defense
- Sovereignty, civil resilience, external threats, and tightly limited crisis protection under Articles XIX and XX.
Section 17.03 — Operational Circles
An Operational Circle administers a specialized, bounded function. The Circle of Affirmation and the Immigration civic office remain operational unless constitutional review demonstrates that either satisfies every Foundational test. Time and Observance is a shared constitutional instrument stewarded through the Council of Seasons and experienced through the center calendar; it is not an eighth Foundational Circle.
Section 17.04 — Councils
A Council holds independent authority within an assigned intra-Circle domain. Its authority is substantive rather than merely advisory, but remains bounded by the Constitution, the parent Circle’s Charter, the constituting instrument, public oversight, protected rights, and the jurisdictions of other bodies.
No Council may claim authority outside its assigned domain, override another Council or Circle, or amend its own jurisdiction without lawful constitutional process. Cross-domain questions require documented consultation, consent where rights or private information are involved, and a visible path of review.
Section 17.05 — Temporary Rings
A Temporary Ring shall publish its purpose, members, powers, resources, records, review body, and automatic expiration before exercising authority. It may not perpetuate itself by declaring its task unfinished, absorb a permanent mandate, or carry exceptional power into ordinary governance.
Section 17.06 — Equality of Dignity and Difference of Mandate
Every Circle, Council, Ring, member, witness, applicant, and citizen possesses equal civic dignity. The law may distinguish responsibility, qualification, confidentiality, and jurisdiction only as necessary to perform a legitimate mandate. Breadth of office never creates greater personhood.
Section 17.07 — Canonical Cross-References
This topology shall be read together with Article VIII, Articles XIX and XX, the Healing Charter, Harmony Charter, Balance Charter, and Restoration Codex. Where an older text uses “Criminal Codex,” it shall be read as “Restoration Codex” pending formal amendment. Where an older list omits Healing or assigns medicine or defense to Custodianship, this Draft v2.2 records the proposed reconciliation without claiming ratification.