The Technology Tree

This is the map of the map.

Rebuilding The World — Edition 1 contains seven cards arranged along the first branch of the technology tree. Three knowledge cards establish the argument: why knowledge disappears, how it is happening right now, and what the structure of reconstruction looks like. Two instruction cards provide the first practical proof — water and fire, the two absolute foundations without which no other technology is possible.

The connections between the cards are not decorative. They are dependency chains:

Foundation layer — "Why Knowledge Disappears" and "The Digital Library of Alexandria" establish urgency. They answer the question why should I care about this?

Map layer — "What You Need to Start Over" provides the overview. It introduces the technology tree as a concept and shows where every other card fits.

Proof layer — "Purifying Water Without Electricity" and "Making Fire From What You Find" are the first executable nodes. They prove the concept works: print this card, and you have something that functions without infrastructure.

Voice layer — "Eo Ena" is the maker who compiled these cards. In later editions, craftspeople will add their own cards and sign them. The maker card is the human anchor of the system.

The tree is deliberately incomplete. The visible empty spaces represent knowledge that still needs to be captured: food preservation, basic metallurgy, shelter construction, seed saving, fiber and textile, ceramics, basic medicine. Each empty space is an invitation to the next maker who has knowledge to share.