Digital Glossary

Decentarise

A portmanteau of the words “decent” and “arise” that is also a homonym for the concept of “de-centering” or removing the center from something. It also has obvious similarity to the commonplace “decentralize”, which now has considerable discourse surrounding its meaning and has been adopted by hundreds of organizations.

We introduce the verb decentarise in the context of transforming a centralized entity into one that adopts principles of virtue and decentralization. Thus, we can refer to the technologies as “decentralized” and the participating organizations as decentarised.

In the portmanteau, we take the standard definition of decent meaning “characterized by conformity to recognized standards of propriety or morality; morally upright; moral or respectable. 1 ” In the context of this declaration, the “standards of propriety and morality” would be the virtues. “Arise” is taken as meaning “to move upward or ascend.”

In contrast to the insatiable appetite for “progress” in modern centralized institutions, arising assumes a balance between adopting clearly modern technologies in the form of decentralization with traditional institutions such as family and community that have stood the test of time. An incessant focus on individualism and rights may have catastrophic effects on the long-term stability of cultures and societies. Virtue and responsibility have successfully passed from generation to generation in the “vertical” transmission of culture for hundreds of years until recently. Individualism and the dissolution of families and communities has instead spawned multiple subcultures where the recognized standards of propriety and morality are transmitted only “horizontally” between peers. How culture and virtue are transmitted defines the boundaries of accountability. In peer subcultures, accountability is only to peers. In the vertical transmission of culture, children are raised to be accountable to parents, grandparents and the extended community, which provides fertile ground for decentralized governance using correct and virtuous principles.

A useful analogy is that the branches and twigs of a tree may arise only because of the support of the trunk and roots. Progress and modernization, in contrast, frequently express disdain for the past as being insufficiently progressive or modern. This manifests as progress for the sake of progress rather than progress to deepen relationships and lasting joy.