Contribute to the Charter

Who Can Contribute

How to Submit a Clause Card

1. Check for duplicates — Search the existing clause library and CROSS_REFERENCE.md to ensure no existing clause covers your topic. If a similar clause exists, consider submitting an amendment via PR comment.
2. Fork the repository — Create a fork on GitHub and a branch named clause/[domain-code]-[short-name], e.g. clause/LB-organ-trade.
3. Author the clause card — Follow the YAML schema below. Include at least 3 attestations from independent civilizations, at least 1 positive case, and at least 1 negative case. Every case must cite a verifiable source.
4. Set evidence level honestly — See the evidence table below. Do not inflate evidence levels. Peer reviewers will downgrade unsupported claims.
5. Open a Pull Request — Use the PR template. Tag at least one reviewer from each of the three required areas: (1) law/ethics, (2) history/culture, (3) technology/AI.
6. Respond to review — All three reviewers must approve. Address all substantive comments. Review typically takes 7–14 days for domain clauses, up to 30 days for meta-principle changes.
7. Merge and cross-reference — A Maintainer merges the PR and updates CROSS_REFERENCE.md. For major structural changes, an ADR is filed.

Clause Card Format (Layer 2)

Each clause card is a YAML fenced block within a .md file. All fields are required unless marked optional.

```yaml
clause_card:
  id: "LB-001"                    # Domain code + sequential number
  domain: "life_body"             # snake_case directory name
  title: "Right to Life and Physical Security"
  norm_statement: >
    Every sapient entity has a right to life and physical security that
    may not be arbitrarily extinguished or violated by any other entity,
    institution, or automated system.
  meta_principles: ["P01", "P04", "P10"]
  universality: "near-universal"  # near-universal | widespread | contested
  evidence_level: "peer-reviewed" # See evidence table
  civilization_level_range: "S1-S6"
  attestations:
    - civilization: "Western"
      source: "ECHR Art. 2; ICCPR Art. 6"
      era: "1950–present"
    - civilization: "Islamic"
      source: "Maqasid al-Shariah: hifz al-nafs (preservation of life)"
      era: "9th century CE–present"
    - civilization: "Chinese"
      source: "Tang Code, Vol. 17 (murder prohibitions)"
      era: "618–907 CE"
  positive_cases:
    - description: "Post-WWII Nuremberg principles establishing individual criminal liability for mass killing."
      source: "Nuremberg Tribunal (1945–46)"
      verdict: "positive"
  negative_cases:
    - description: "State-sanctioned extrajudicial killings under emergency decree without independent review."
      source: "HRW reports, 2010–2023"
      verdict: "negative"
  contemporary_relevance: "Lethal autonomous weapons, AI-directed targeting, death penalty AI recommendations."
  open_questions: "At what A-level does an AI agent acquire life-right protections?"
  version: "1.0"
  last_updated: "2025-10"
```

Contextual Clause Format (Layer 3)

For Layer 3 (contextual) clauses, use the contextual_clause_card schema.

```yaml
contextual_clause_card:
  id: "WC-AJ-001"                  # Context + Domain + Number
  context: "western"
  domain: "admin_judicial"
  tradition: "Common Law / Civil Law"
  title: "Rule of Law and Judicial Independence"
  historical_period: "1215 CE–present"
  region: "Western Europe, North America, Australasia"
  legal_system: "Common law; Civil law"
  norm_statement: >
    No person, institution, or government stands above the law.
    Judicial officers must be independent of the executive and
    free from political interference.
  parent_clauses: ["AJ-001", "AJ-002"]
  evidence_level: "peer-reviewed"
  positive_cases:
    - description: "Magna Carta (1215) limiting royal prerogative."
      source: "Magna Carta, Clauses 39–40"
  negative_cases:
    - description: "Executive removal of judges for politically inconvenient rulings."
      source: "Venice Commission reports, 2015–2023"
```

RFC Process for Structural Changes

Adding a new domain, renaming a meta-principle, or reorganizing the layer structure requires an RFC (Request for Comment).

Three-Area Peer Review

All PRs require approval from reviewers covering three distinct expertise areas.