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Is Manifesto the right word for our times?

Ross Dawson, March 5, 2012 at 11:46 am

It strikes me that in these these confused and confusing times we should lay down clear thoughts about what we believe in. I am mustering my thoughts across a number domains to express what I think is important.

However one of the questions is what to call these statements. On the face of it ‘Manifesto’ is an admirable description.

From the political domain the Communist Manifesto (1848) and Anarchist Manifesto (1850) flowed through into artistic domain, with notably the Futurist Manifesto (1909) and Surrealist Manifesto (1924), and on into the social domain, with the SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men) Manifesto (1968) among the many marking the cultural revolution of the 1960s. Since then the technological domain has been rife with statements from the GNU Manifesto (1985) and Hackers Manifesto (1986) through to the bestselling Cluetrain Manifesto (1999).

The Google Ngram diagram above shows frequency of appearances of the word Manifesto in books, highlighting the mid-19th century political peak, the political and artistic mix of the 1930s, and a climax in the late 1960s at the axis of social change.

Since then the word Manifesto has been in apparent decline, to almost the lowest level in two centuries.

Perhaps Manifesto is a tired word, laden with too many connotations, reflecting old ways of thinking.

Or perhaps it is still the best term to describe powerful, succinct statements of beliefs, ones that will guide us forward through this critical time in human history.

I recently asked on Twitter whether the words ‘Manifesto’ or ‘Manifest’ were better. Manifest long ago had the same meaning as Manifesto, so I wondered whether the word is ready for revival as a contemporary replacement. The responses all reflected that the current meaning of Manifest as a bill of goods is too entrenched for it to be used today as an alternative to Manifesto.

How about Proclamation, Declaration, Statement, Exhortation, Principles, Thesis, Framework?

What do you think? Is Manifesto the right word for our times? Or is there a better one for us to describe our encapsulated beliefs that we put forward for the common good?

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http://twitter.com/edbrenegar edbrenegar

My sense of a manifesto is that it is “a call to arms.” It is a statement that calls for action. If that is it, then why not just call it, “A Call To Action.” If it isn’t, then it is a statement. A statement of conviction or a vision statement or maybe, “Musings in Search of Truth.” What is important is less what you call it and more why you say it. That said, if what you are preparing to say is a sort of conclusion to all the research and experiences that you have had, and this is sort of a consolidating statement, then manifesto would serve you well.
- http://www.rossdawsonblog.com Ross Dawson
  
  Very good Ed, I agree with all that. In many cases “A Call To Action” is a fabulous title.
http://twitter.com/ariegoldshlager Arie Goldshlager

Ross,

I avoid using the manifesto concept. The first manifesto that comes to my mind has negative connotations that taint the concept. Also, it sounds archaic and backwards-looking to me.

I wish there was a better word. I like [declaration of] principles, or [conceptual] framework.

Arie.
- http://www.rossdawsonblog.com Ross Dawson
  
  Thanks Arie, that’s precisely why I’m looking for an alternative, if there is a better one. ‘Declaration’ is one of the strongest.
SWK

I like the power inherent in the term…check out this one—http://connection-revolution.com/manifesto/
http://twitter.com/ahito46 David Hawthorne

I confess to a visceral flinch when I saw it used by Umair Haque in his “The New Capitalist Manifesto.” But after reading the book, I sort of get it. I have been unhappy with Smith’s “Wealth of Nations,” as scholars (careless readers?) have been over eager to credit (blame?) too much of capitalism’s success (excesses?) on a man whose innocent pondering was largely ignored for nearly 200 years waiting for fledgling capitalist to fully distort and misappropriated his work to excuse the shameless exploitation of humans across the span of the industrial age. Hague’s idea of ‘constructive capitalism’ seems closer to what I think Smith had in mind as an alternative to Aristocracy and mercantilism. The Marxian use of “Manifesto” caused sufficient discomfort in the Capitalists Hallelujah chorus, that I think it’s owed the return engagement. Society can always use a good strong doze of ‘self-criticism’ and ‘reflection’ and choosing ‘loaded” terms sometimes helps the process.
Anonymous

Ross, a declaration of beliefs? I like “declaration” – it gives the any statement some ‘oomph’.
- http://www.rossdawsonblog.com Ross Dawson
  
  Yes that’s a strong contender…
Anonymous

I use the word “Wall” in case you want to express it more visually. started with Manifesto but somebody within our company suggested it and I kind of like it because it is more informal, to-date
see examplehttp://www.canguru.be/Canguru/Mission.html@icanguru:twitter
- http://www.rossdawsonblog.com Ross Dawson
  
  interesting, and a nice Wall!
  - Anonymous
    
    Thank you for the compliment. This is what we truly believe in and everybody in our company is clear on it and shares it 200%. I made our wall myself (not some marketing agency) thanks to a great iPad app called Penultimate.
    It turns everybody instantly into a cartoonist.
    In my humble opinion, declaration is so formal and “June4, 1776″ ish. Everybody at home has a wall, in every meeting room there is a wall, when you have ideas and concepts you typically put them on the wall with post its, where you share your beliefs and try to motivate people to believe in them. Everybody understands what a wall is. And it is short four letter word. You pretend to be a futurist (and rightly so). You make great visuals that everybody can understand. And this is what the world needs. Our world suffers from people hiding (probably their lack of understanding) behind complexity and vagueness. I am fond of Dan Roam (visuals) and Hans Rosling (data visualization).
    - http://www.rossdawsonblog.com Ross Dawson
      
      I think the participatory implication of ‘Wall’ is great. Some of the other words such as declaration describe something essentially static.
      - Anonymous
        
        yep spot on. as a believer in ‘crowd…’ collaboration and evolution is an additional aspect of it. we have been thinking on ways/tools for people/intersted parties being able to supplement or comment our wall and make it live

Ross Dawson is globally recognized as a leading futurist, entrepreneur, keynote speaker, strategy advisor, and bestselling author. He is Founding Chairman of AHT Group, which consists of 3 companies: consulting, publishing, and ventures firm Advanced Human Technologies, future and strategy firm Future Exploration Network, and events company The Insight Exchange.

Ross is author most recently of Getting Results From Crowds, the prescient Living Networks, which anticipated the social network revolution, the Amazon.com bestseller Developing Knowledge-Based Client Relationships, and Implementing Enterprise 2.0. (click on the links for free chapter downloads). He is based in Sydney and San Francisco with his wife jewellery designer Victoria Buckley and two beautiful young daughters.