Code of Conduct

Preamble

This document defines the code of conduct for all participants in the Unsans community, without exception, including its founders and custodians. It is not a legal contract, nor does it pretend to be one. Instead, it serves as a voluntarily assumed framework of standards — principles that govern how ideas are handled, arguments are made, and disagreements are carried out. Unsans relies not on coercion but on the shared understanding that standards are enforced not by coercion alone, but by conscious self-restraint and intellectual responsibility.

Unsans operates on a simple premise: intellectual freedom requires self-imposed limits. This code exists to make those limits explicit.

Purpose

Books are the collective intellectual legacy of humankind, transcending race, religion, color, and even era. We believe this legacy must be protected for posterity. Unsans exists to enrich it by deepening public thinking through serious books, enduring ideas, and the intellectual traditions that shape them.

The ideas handed down to us by our forebears do not remain static; they are shaped and refined over time, even as they shape and refine human thought in return. It is this living exchange — this accumulated richness — that Unsans seeks to preserve and extend.

This Code of Conduct defines the standards of behavior, contribution, and engagement that allow Unsans to remain rigorous, respectful, and worthy of trust.

Our goal is not consensus, but clarity. Not volume, but value.

Core Principles

1. Intellectual Honesty

  • Represent sources faithfully; do not distort arguments for rhetorical effect.
  • Distinguish clearly between fact, interpretation, and opinion.
  • Acknowledge uncertainty where it exists.

2. Respect for Ideas and People

  • Critique ideas, texts, and arguments, not individuals.
  • No harassment, personal attacks, or intimidation.
  • Disagreement is welcome; contempt is not.

3. Depth Over Noise

  • Contributions should aim to advance understanding.
  • Avoid sensationalism, clickbait framing, or shallow provocation.
  • Repetition without added insight may be moderated.

4. Fidelity to Context

  • Do not quote or excerpt in ways that materially alter meaning.
  • Historical, cultural, and philosophical contexts should be respected, not flattened.

5. Good-Faith Engagement

  • Engage with others as serious interlocutors.
  • Avoid bad-faith tactics: straw-manning, sealioning, deliberate derailment, or performative outrage.

Content Standards

Permitted Content

  • Analytical essays, critiques, summaries, and reflections on books and ideas.
  • Comparative analysis across disciplines, traditions, or eras.
  • Thoughtful questions that invite inquiry rather than provoke reaction.

Prohibited Content

  • Hate speech or dehumanizing language.
  • Personal abuse, threats, or harassment.
  • Deliberate misinformation or fabricated citations.
  • Spam, self-promotion without substantive contribution, or automated content flooding.

Attribution and Sources

  • Credit original authors, translators, and publishers where applicable.
  • Public-domain material should be identified as such.
  • Plagiarism — verbatim or structural — is not tolerated.

AI-Assisted Content

  • AI may be used as a research or drafting aid, but responsibility for accuracy and integrity rests with the contributor.
  • Mass-produced or low-effort AI content may be removed.

Moderation Philosophy

Unsans moderation is guided by judgment, not algorithms alone.

  • Actions are taken to preserve intellectual quality and community trust.
  • Moderation may include warnings, content edits, removals, or account restrictions.
  • Decisions are contextual and may evolve as the platform grows.

Community Responsibility

  • If you see violations, report them thoughtfully.
  • Do not weaponize reporting to silence disagreement.
  • Help maintain Unsans as a place worth reading.

Final Note

Unsans is a library before it is a forum.

By participating, you agree to contribute as a careful reader, a responsible thinker, and a respectful guest in a shared intellectual space.

We believe clarity is the highest courtesy — the quiet undercurrent that allows the Unsans community to thrive and grow. We invite you to be part of it.

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