11. Realms

Realms of Freedom represent the social boundaries that define our actions. They are the product of Power's mechanisms, demarcating what is good, rational, legal, or possible. Acting outside one's Realm comes at a cost, either from the self or society.

The focus is to then figure out how those boundaries are drawn. "Good" or "normal" cannot be empirically measured; instead, these values are shaped by religion, philosophy, and other aspects of culture. Meanwhile, "rational" or "legal" may describe some combination of academic research, government policy, or other information that comes from our institutions. These Power Reactors serve as the baseline for each person, though their individual Realm will vary at the margins depending on personal experience and the Mythoscapes they subscribe to.

Societies are then tasked with making decisions for individuals with drastically different Realm boundaries. Laws may not reflect the values or interests of everyone they affect. They may even do the literal opposite. Individuals are influenced by the macro-level dominant Realm of that collective, as it serves as the reference point that all within it respond to. This dominant Realm provides continuity both for institutions to function and for culture to translate across individuals.

Regardless, Realms are never permanently set in stone. On a basic individual level, consider how the accumulation of wealth or other Power Capacitors can change someone's perception of what they can achieve or physically do. Further, the process of negotiating Realm boundaries serves as much of the bedrock of society: political debate and governance, scholarly research and communication, and so on.