Our society is organized by identity. We have systems that recognize somebodies identity and that grants/denies access to powers and resources. While that mostly works, we might be able to do better. I propose as an alternative that we organize around deeds instead, and have systems recognize actions rather than identities.
History of identitiesEarly tribal societies used identities and lineages to prevent inbreeding. In slave societies identity was used to keep track of slaves. And in feudal societies identities were used to attach hereditary political power to people. Identity also served persecution alot, for example: which hunting, or in ww2 the Nazis holocausting the Jews. States use identity to attempt to conscript-nap people and force them to wage wars.
AnonymityThis is what enabled many slaves to free them selves. It is what enabled many Jews to evade the extermination camps. It also is necessary for democracy, because votes have to be anonymous in order to prevent coerced votes. Anonymity became a political value during the beginning of the bourgeois revolutions, and are conceptually based on early cities where masses of people had to cooperate without being able to know everybody.
examples for proof of deed, recognize action instead of identityWe already use some systems that recognize action but not identity. For example when you buy a ticket for amusement rides, the ticket grants you access by proving that you payed for the ride, and there is no need to recognize your identity. Voting systems can also work entirely without identity, people vote anonymously, then stick their thumb into a die that stains the skin for a few days and prevents voting more than once.
Political intentionsProof of deed systems are better at enabling rewards for beneficial actions, while proof of identity systems skew a lot more towards punishment. Proof of deed systems are less easily abused for persecution. Identities also get abused to establish aristocratic domination (privilege for me and burden for thee). So less persecution, more fairness and motivation by the carrot rather than the stick.
A society of the deed would be anonymous safe for interpersonal relations, and perhaps counter-intuitively also more orderly, since it operates on actions directly. One would have to try it out to know for sure.
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