Striving for harmony by building consensus across humanity.
Setting aside natural disasters, basically all violence, strife, and drama in the news is the result of human decisions. And, actually, now some natural disasters are the result of human decisions too, thanks to climate change.
When we dream about the future we want, which you might call utopia, it's pretty obvious that people must have a really really good decision making process. If there were huge bad decisions on the regular, it wouldn't really be utopia.
So how do they do it? Human nature is not likely to change, so they're still dealing with that. Conflict is not likely to disappear, so they must have a supreme process for dealing with it.
Decisions are all about information, and we're pretty good at information already, and AI is making us even better. Given that the building blocks exist already, we should not expect some unforeseeable invention to unlock the tools or skills for supreme decision making.
Perhaps, using thought experiments, we could form some good guesses about their decision making, specifically as technology or skills. And perhaps some of those would even be implementable today.
If they were, then maybe we'd inspire people to develop those technologies and cultivate those skills in humankind now. Maybe we would be those people. One way or another, we will find a path to harmony.
We think identity is powerful, so some of us call ourselves Onists, but it's definitely not required. If you want to join us, email us to introduce yourself at introductions@onism.vision.
Onism revolves around a vision of global harmony that we believe is achievable through projects to build consensus and unify humankind's accumulated wisdom for universal benefit. We foster rational, democratic, and science-loving communities that coordinate solutions for modern problems like war, terrorism, polarization, economic disparities, runaway AI, and more. While some might describe Onism as a religion, we prefer to call it a philosophy, movement, or project. We do recognize that "religion" has historical baggage, so we strive to avoid dogma. Our only core conviction is the "Axiom of Intelligence," meaning we believe harmony is ultimately achievable through cooperative reasoning. We encourage strategic thinking, practical tools, and new technologies to strengthen established consensus-building systems, particularly democracy, science, and journalism. Our dream is "cognitive convergence" – bringing human minds together to address local and global conflicts, from everyday disagreements to large-scale border disputes.
Harmony means minimizing violence, suffering, and strife. It does not require unanimous agreement on all values or ideas. Instead, it focuses on creating ways for people with diverse viewpoints to live together peacefully and make progress on shared solutions.
Not all issues can achieve perfect consensus. Onism encourages breaking down disagreements into smaller components, gathering more facts and perspectives, and trying innovations that can unlock greater alignment. Even partial consensus helps reduce harmful conflict and fosters cooperation.
Under some definitions, yes. But we shy away from that term because it can distract from our goals. Traditional religion often suggests dogmatic teachings or mysticism. Onism only requires faith in one principle: that harmony is achievable by thinking together. We don't rely on ancient stories, we encourage skepticism, and we hold no single leader as infallible.
Onism has no single, unquestioned leader, no forced isolation, no punishments for dissent, and no extreme dogmas. We encourage critical thinking, logic, and evidence. Cody—who initially articulated Onism—does not claim authority beyond being a founder. Everyone has an equal voice, and we collectively shape Onism by consensus.
Democracy, science, and journalism are proven methods for gathering collective wisdom and synthesizing it. Strengthening and evolving these systems is central to Onism's mission. We also imagine new tech tools (like a decision-making app) that let individuals or leaders gather input and form data-based consensus on a global scale.
Yes. We don't aim to end all competition; healthy competition can drive innovation. We just want competition to remain peaceful and constructive, like sportsmanship, without tilting into violent or destructive behavior.
Absolutely. We encourage skeptical thinking. Dissent is a catalyst for growth. Onism only relies on a single leap of faith—the Axiom of Intelligence—that, by reasoning together in good faith, humanity can minimize conflict. Everything else is open to debate, research, and revision by consensus.
No! In fact, the only thing you kinda have to believe is the Axiom of Intelligence, i.e. that harmony is achievable through cooperative reasoning. Onists may hold any personal religious or philosophical beliefs. We do not demand a monopoly on truth or moral authority, and we do not excommunicate.
Yes, any time! There is no penalty or social ban. We see departures as a valuable signal that we must continuously improve.
Sadly no, since we are not yet a 501(c)(3) non-profit, which is the US designation for tax-deductible charities. If we grow bigger in the future, we might set this up--it's just a lot of work.
If this mission resonates with you, we invite you to make a symbolic oath. Place your hand on your heart and recite these words:
"I take faith that harmony is achievable, I vow to strengthen relationships and develop consensus. And I pledge to work together on the perpetual project of cognitive convergence. Starting today, I identify as a Onist."
Some people record videos of themselves taking this vow with the hashtag #OnismOath. Others take it privately without fanfare. Either way, you're free to challenge or revise Onism's ideas at any time. We only ask you maintain good faith in the objective of seeking harmony.
We welcome questions and collaborations. For general inquiries, please email: yo@onism.vision. If you're interested in affiliating your current work with Onism, email affiliation@onism.vision. Our team loves to learn about like-minded missions and list them in our Chronicle of Good Works.