Merge branch 'main' of https://github.com/pluralitybook/plurality

.github/workflows/main.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+name: Build Book
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - main
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+    steps:
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v2
+    - name: Generate book files
+      run: |
+        # Install necessary dependencies (e.g., Perl, Docker)
+        perl scripts/make-book.pl
+    - name: Generate book files (zh-tw)
+      run: |
+        perl scripts/make-book-zh-tw.pl
+    - name: Upload artifacts
+      uses: actions/upload-artifact@v2
+      with:
+        name: book-files
+        path: |
+          Plurality-english.pdf
+          Plurality-english.epub
+          Plurality-traditional-mandarin.pdf
+          Plurality-traditional-mandarin.epub
+    - uses: ncipollo/release-action@v1
+      with:
+        artifacts: "*.pdf,*.epub"
+        token: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_TOKEN }}
+        tag: latest
+        allowUpdates: true

contents/english/00-01-finding-your-dao.md

@@ -1,19 +1,19 @@
-\textbf{Finding Your Dao}
+**Finding Your Dao**
 
 As we discuss in the book, linear book narratives have a significant disadvantage of forcing every reader down a single learning path.  While the online version avoids this through the extensive use of hyperlinks, those who hold a physical copy will find this more challenging to navigate.  To partially alleviate this problem, we have structured the text in a "circular" manner, where readers can start at a variety of points, read from there and circle back to the "earlier" material at the end.
 
 We recommend in particular that:
 
-- Those with a primarily topical, political or \textbf{current affairs} interest begin at the beginning of the book, with the preface and read straight through.
+- Those with a primarily topical, political or **current affairs** interest begin at the beginning of the book, with the preface and read straight through.
 
-- Those with a more conceptual, theoretical or broadly \textbf{intellectual} interest consider skipping Parts 1 and 2 and beginning in Part 3 
+- Those with a more conceptual, theoretical or broadly **intellectual** interest consider skipping Parts 1 and 2 and beginning in Part 3.
 
-- Those with a more \textbf{technical}, technological or engineering focus consider beginning with Part 4
+- Those with a more **technical**, technological or engineering focus consider beginning with Part 4.
 
-- Those with an interest in concrete technologies and their \textbf{applications} consider beginning with Part 5
+- Those with an interest in concrete technologies and their **applications** consider beginning with Part 5.
 
-- Those with an interest in real-world \textbf{impact} in specific social sectors consider beginning with Part 6
+- Those with an interest in real-world **impact** in specific social sectors consider beginning with Part 6.
 
-- Those with a focus on public \textbf{policy}, government and social mobilization consider beginning with Part 7
+- Those with a focus on public **policy**, government and social mobilization consider beginning with Part 7.
 
 Regardless of stating point, we expect most readers who find value wherever they begin will find it worthwhile to continue reading, looping back and filling in the theoretical frameworks of "later" parts of the book with the the material that comes earlier.

contents/english/01-preface.md

@@ -4,20 +4,20 @@
 
 ---
 
-The advent of the internet unfurled the world, illuminating paths forward. The transformative era of the 1960s bore witness to technology nursing the budding seeds of transculturalism, giving birth to digital communities that defied the constraints of geography and time. Through this digital bridge, knowledge blossomed across languages and cultures.
+The advent of the internet unfurled the world. Beginning in the 1960s, this new technology created unprecedented possibilities to tie distant communities together across space and time. Knowledge transcended borders, spreading instanteaneously across languages and cultures.
 
-Yet, the surging wave of globalization carried with it divisions of social status and widening wealth disparity. The relentless march of progress, propelled by the currents of digital technology, engendered colossal tech industries, luring individuals into isolated islands of polarization. Consequently, democracy finds itself at a low tide. Authoritarian regimes, commanding nearly half of the global GDP, cast a disquieting shadow. Only a modest one billion people find solace under the umbrella of democratic systems, while 2.2 billion dwell under authoritarian rule.
+At the same time, globalization ushered in an era marked by increased disparities in wealth and social standing. The rapid evolution of digital technology fueled the rise of towering tech giants, which lured individuals into polarized enclaves. 
 
-Every culture, akin to a river, tells its own tale. We see the river of democracy as a conduit of hope. As its waters wane, we must replenish it with the rain of open-source technology, reminiscent of the meticulous artistry of Athena's tapestry and the boundless wisdom of communal synergy.
+The internet is a powerful technology for tying people together in new collaborations across vast differences. Unfortunately, it has also recently proven to be a powerful tool for thwarting those collaborations and sowing new forms of division. 
 
-This book reveals potent insights into digital democracy from across the globe. Our goal is to magnify the strength and virtue of cognitive diversity across borders, mirroring the solidarity among the authors and contributors of this work.
+It is no coincidence that democracy now finds itself at a low tide. Authoritarian regimes now command nearly half of the global GDP. Only a modest one billion people find solace under the umbrella of democratic systems, while over two billion dwell under authoritarian rule.
 
-In 2022, Taiwan proudly stood with over 60 nations in endorsing "The Declaration of the Future of the Internet," anchored by shared democratic ideals. A year later, in 2023, Denmark launched the "Digital Democracy Initiative" with the EU. Civil society, bridging societal divides, unfolds as we navigate the river of democracy towards a plural future. Our collective journey this time tells not a story of colonialism, but a saga of collaboration.
+Every culture, akin to a river, tells its own tale. We see the river of democracy as a conduit of hope. As its waters wane, we must replenish it. 
 
-In Mandarin, 數位 embodies both "digital" and "plural," an ethos nurtured by the tradition of inclusive co-creation. Taiwan's democratic innovations, fortified by the commitment to digital rights, resonates with this spirit. Public collaboration, future-oriented in consciousness, eschews top-down dictates, favoring a secure and participatory cyberspace.
+This book, a surging communal effort, is one attempt to restore the flow – and with it, hope. 
 
-The idea of Plurality captures the symbiotic relationship between democracy and collaborative technology. The challenge of digitally transforming democracy might seem daunting, but it is not insurmountable. By fusing democracy with technology, as we've shaped science with diversity, we can weave a fabric of trust for the public to nurture and cherish, breathing new life into our river of democracy.
+In Mandarin, 數位 means both "digital" and "plural." To be plural is to be digital. To be digital is to be plural. 
 
-Life, a ripple of atoms — cosmic stardust — flourishes with infinite diversity in infinite combinations, reverberating through epochs of cultural fusion. The harmony extolled by ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras, the rule-altering power in J.R.R. Tolkien's Ainulindalë — these are us.
+Plurality captures the symbiotic relationship between democracy and collaborative technology. Together, democracy and collaborative technology can power infinite diversity in infinite combinations. 
 
-Within the atomic microcosm, a 'string' vibrates, much like a symphony. Those of us resonating with Plurality can foster collaborative diversity through interoperable coexistence. This book is an invitation to counter totalitarianism, avert extinction, and free the future — together.
+Let's free the future — together.

contents/english/02-01-a-view-from-yushan.md

@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ Already among the most technology-intensive export economies in the world, this
 
 Yet despite this deep and persistent division that fueled the Sunflower movement, the overlapping consensus between these perspectives is striking:
 
-1. Pluralism: Both the Blue and Green stories share a strong emphasis on pluralism. For Blue, it includes the multiethnic nature of the ROC, while Greens focus on the diverse influences on Taiwan, including indigenous, Japanese, Taigi, Hakka, Western and new immigrants.
+1. Pluralism: Both the Blue and Green stories share a strong emphasis on pluralism. For Blue, it's about fusing both contemporary and traditional culture (exemplified by the National Palace Museum), while highlighting ROC's role as a cultural inheritor and leader; while the Greens focus on the diversity of those who have settled in Taiwan, including the indigenous peoples, Japanese, Hokkien, Hakka, Westerners, and new immigrants.
 2. Diplomatic nuance: To navigate the challenging relationship with the PRC, both have had to embrace range of complex and nuanced public positions around the security posture of the US and other allies, the meaning of ROC and Taiwan, as well as the concept of "independence".
 3. Democratic freedom: The ideas of "democracy" and "freedom" are core to both ideologies. For Greens, these ideas are the core of Taiwan's rallying cries overcoming both the White Terror and PRC authoritarianism. To Blues, these ideas are core to Tridemism and thus, in their eyes, qualities that a ROC leadership must focus on.
 4. Anti-authoritarianism: Both are deeply concerned about growing authoritarianism in the PRC, especially in the last decade with the failure of the "One Country, Two Systems" formula in Hong Kong.