The Deep Code Cards

Deep Codes are the structural norms that sit beneath the surface of everyday life. They are assumptions so widely shared, so thoroughly embedded in our institutions, our language, and our habits, that they no longer feel like assumptions at all. They feel like reality.

Deep Codes are the accumulated logic of a system built over centuries, one we inherited without being asked. They are the operating logic of our economy, and they are almost impossible to see from within.

They seem normal, harmless even. But are they? It is quite strange, if you think about it, that we have legal codes giving us private ownership rights over other living beings. Or monetary codes that allow banks to conjure money from a keyboard whilst governments impose austerity. It would surprise us to hear someone say they own their partner or child — so why do we accept ownership of entire ecosystems? You would laugh if someone told you they couldn’t afford to talk because they had reached their conversational limit for the month. But is debt really so different from language?

All of these things are questionable. That is exactly the point. The deep codes represent our collective choices. They determine how we organise our lives, from the scale of the household right through to the global economy.

The Deep Code Cards illustrate some of the most common codes that we have observed. Time and time again they block meaningful change, fuelling exhaustion and despair in those committed to building regenerative systems. They are powerful and entrenched, but they are also ridiculous. The Deep Code Cards invite you to explore whether they make sense. Do you agree with their logic or do you think they should be changed?