Module to Civilization

A machine is a small product ecosystem in the OSE framework, such as a house (a 'machine' for living inside of). An institution is a larger and more complex product ecosystem in the OSE framework. We associate machines with something that can be developed effectively at a paired Dunbar, nominally 240 person effort. We associate institutions as something that has a long-term existence, a 'product ecosystem of product ecosystems' consisting of a scale 10x larger than the scale of a machines, therefore a nominal 2400 person institution with every person working full time on the development and evolution of that institution.

Civilization may thus be defined as a collection of (10x) institutions at the scale of 24k people, of complex product ecosystems (2400 people) of simple product ecosystems (240), of modules (24) people.

Since technology has many areas, it may be that there are 100x technologies in each institution, or that there are 100x institutions in civilization, so maybe the numbers above may well be that a civilization consists not of 24k people as a minimum, but of 2.4M people. This would be the same population is the entire earth 10000 BC [1]

The important point to keep in mind is that the small number is less than 1/1000 of the population. Given that a large number of people can in principle learn to be a Global Steward, if only 1 in 1000 learn to get there the world would be saved. Each global steward can easily lead a population of 1000, even at the Dunbar scale where the steward's team of a dozen or so is directly responsible for contact with a Dunbar's scale of people.

It is useful to think of creating 'institutions'. Any positive institution can have oversize effects on the course of civilization if that institution provides excellent product - such as freedom or self-determination.

The OSE education program focuses on teaching modules of a single product ecosystem (Seed Eco-Home) starting with 24 person module-developing cohorts, who collaborate with new cohorts for developing simple product ecosystems on the 240 person scale. Once such 240 person campuses form, these campuses collaborate with other campuses to create new institutions (such as Built Environment), at the scale of a 2400 person institution. Multiple institutions like this constitute a 24000 person minimum viable civilization - a collection of 10 key institutions. These institutions may be justice, collaboraton (compliance), finance, manufacturing, environment, spirituality, public sector, education, security, health, etc. Many institutions that do not have a beneficial purpose for everyone are morphed into more benign forms.