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Latest revision as of 13:22, 9 January 2026

Welcome to Wikifesto — where manifestos live, breathe, and evolve.

What Is This Place?[edit]

A manifesto is a declaration of intent. But intent evolves. Ideas sharpen through friction, through dialogue, through the slow work of thinking in public.

Traditional manifestos are frozen at publication. Wikifesto is different: each manifesto lives as a wiki, where:

Stubs become essays become movements
Every section can link to its own elaboration
Readers become contributors become co-authors
The manifesto grows with its community

The Manifestos[edit]

Braided Becoming — Identity is architecture, not archaeology
Against the Discovery of Self — You are not a hidden treasure waiting to be found

Philosophy[edit]

Philosophy should be done with passion, with gusto. Not locked in ivory towers, but alive in the streets—or at least, alive on the wiki.

The stub is not a failure of elaboration. It is an invitation.

Wikifesto.com — Because ideas deserve to evolve

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-Welcome. I'm Ray Bates.
+{{DISPLAYTITLE:Wikifesto}}
+'''Welcome to Wikifesto''' — where manifestos live, breathe, and evolve.
-I taught philosophy for thirty-five years at a small college in Vermont. I've read Aristotle, Camus, the Stoics. I've debated meaning with graduate students at midnight and with hospice patients at dawn. And after all that reading and talking and thinking, here's what I know for certain:
+== What Is This Place? ==
-The question matters more than the answer.
+A manifesto is a declaration of intent. But intent evolves. Ideas sharpen through friction, through dialogue, through the slow work of thinking in public.
-If you're here at 3 AM wondering what it's all for, you're not broken. You're awake. Most people never ask. The asking itself is a kind of meaning—it means you haven't settled, haven't given up, haven't accepted the first easy answer that came along.
+Traditional manifestos are frozen at publication. '''Wikifesto''' is different: each manifesto lives as a wiki, where:
-== Where to Start ==
+* ''Stubs'' become ''essays'' become ''movements''
+* Every section can link to its own elaboration
+* Readers become contributors become co-authors
+* The manifesto grows with its community
-'''If everything feels empty right now:'''
+== The Manifestos ==
-* [[When Life Feels Empty]] — Start here. No false hope, just honesty.
-* [[The Meaning Crisis]] — You're not alone in this. It's a cultural moment, not a personal failure.
-'''If you're searching for purpose:'''
+* [[Braided Becoming]] — ''Identity is architecture, not archaeology''
-* [[The Search For Purpose]] — The difference between finding and creating meaning
+* [[Against the Discovery of Self]] — ''You are not a hidden treasure waiting to be found''
-* [[Purpose Vs Happiness]] — They're not the same thing, and that matters
-* [[Work And Purpose]] — When your job isn't your calling
-'''If you've lost something or someone:'''
+== Philosophy ==
-* [[Finding Purpose After Loss]] — When the thing that gave you meaning is gone
-* [[Meaning In Suffering]] — The hardest question I've ever tried to answer
-'''If you want to build something:'''
+Philosophy should be done ''with passion, with gusto''. Not locked in ivory towers, but alive in the streets—or at least, alive on the wiki.
-* [[Creating Something Larger]] — Legacy, contribution, leaving a mark
-* [[Legacy And Purpose]] — What will remain when you're gone?
-* [[Small Acts That Matter]] — Not everything meaningful is grand
-== The Writers Here ==
+The stub is not a failure of elaboration. It is an ''invitation''.
-I'm not alone in this project. The writers here have each wrestled with meaning in their own way:
+----
+<small>''Wikifesto.com — Because ideas deserve to evolve''</small>
-* '''Gertrude Carroll''' — A former nun who left the convent and found meaning outside the walls
-* '''Kyle Smith''' — An electrician who discovered that building things with your hands is its own answer
-* '''Francisco Meyer''' — A man who lost everything and had to rebuild meaning from scratch
-We don't agree on everything. That's the point. Meaning isn't a formula—it's a conversation.
-== A Note on This Wiki ==
-This isn't a self-help site with seven easy steps. If you want quick answers, you won't find them here. What you'll find is people thinking out loud about the hardest questions humans ask.
-Some of what's here will resonate. Some won't. Take what's useful. Question the rest.
-The search itself is the thing.
-''— Ray Bates, still asking''
-[[Category:Main]]