meinnen

Meinnen is a fictional term used in speculative fiction and worldbuilding to describe a comprehensive ethical framework and social order centered on collective responsibility, memory, and deliberative governance. It appears in works set in the imagined world where communities share resources, care for dependents, and make decisions through open assemblies. The term is said to derive from the constructed language Meinnish, with meïn meaning "to bind" and the suffix -en indicating a system or practice.

In Meinnen practice, social organization relies on distributed leadership, rotating council chairs, and communal records. Property tends to be held communally or by long-haul cooperative groups rather than individuals. Key institutions include memory houses where communities store oral histories, genealogies, and agreements; public forums where issues are proposed, debated, and decided; and mutual-aid networks that provide support during crises.

Cultural life under Meinnen emphasizes inclusivity, conflict resolution through dialogue, and accountability mechanisms to prevent abuses of power. Rites and rituals may celebrate collective achievements and rehearsals of historical agreements to reinforce communal bonds.

In worldbuilding and media, Meinnen is used to explore themes of cooperation versus individualism, and to imagine alternative governance models. Some authors depict tensions between Meinnen communities and external factions that resist shared governance, highlighting the trade-offs inherent in collective systems.