Metthets

Metthets is a fictional term used in speculative fiction and online collaborative worlds to describe a proposed socio-cultural grouping and ethical framework. In these contexts, the Metthets are imagined as a community organized around cooperation, ecological stewardship, and experimental governance. The concept functions as a flexible world-building device rather than a single, fixed doctrine.

Origin and usage: Metthets arose in late 2010s online discourse and fan-created genres, where multiple authors and game designers circulated the term. There is no canonical author or work; variations of the idea appear across different settings with differing details.

Characteristics: Core features typically include non-hierarchical or flattened governance, decision-making by consensus or delegation, open-ended membership, and emphasis on mutual aid and shared resources. Technological and social systems are depicted as designed for resilience in scarce-resource environments, with emphasis on sustainability and communal ownership.

Variations and examples: In some narratives, Metthets operate as a mobile, egalitarian federation for researchers or artisans; in others, they are a rural commune addressing climate and food security. The exact practices—rituals, laws, and technologies—vary by author.

Reception and significance: As a world-building construct, Metthets is discussed as a thought experiment in governance and ethics. Critics note its vagueness, while supporters view it as an aspirational model for cooperative living in fiction.

See also: Utopian fiction, Anarchist communism, Mutual aid, Cooperative movement.