neurological pluralism: the reality that many different kinds of minds exist, and the world must be built for that diversity, not for one “normal.”
Table of Contents
- History
- Neurological Pluralism and Psychological Safety
- Neurological Pluralism: The Foundation
- Cavendish Space: Context That Fits Real Minds
- Collaborative Niche Construction: We Shape the Environment Together
- Caves, Campfires, and Watering Holes: Multiple Modes of Being
- Lily Pads: Gentle Transitions for Monotropic Minds
- Dandelions, Tulips, Orchids: Sensitivity Is Not a Flaw
- How It All Works Together (One System)
- Stimpunks Bottom Line
History
ANI launched its online list, ANI-L, in 1994. Like a specialized ecological niche, ANI-L had acted as an incubator for Autistic culture, accelerating its evolution. In 1996, a computer programmer in the Netherlands named Martijn Dekker set up a list called Independent Living on the Autism Spectrum, or InLv. People with dyslexia, ADHD, dyscalculia, and a myriad of other conditions (christened “cousins” in the early days of ANI) were also welcome to join the list. InLv was another nutrient-rich tide pool that accelerated the evolution of autistic culture. The collective ethos of InLv, said writer and list member Harvey Blume in the New York Times in 1997, was “neurological pluralism.” He was the first mainstream journalist to pick up on the significance of online communities for people with neurological differences. “The impact of the Internet on autistics,” Blume predicted, “may one day be compared in magnitude to the spread of sign language among the deaf.”
The neurodiversity movement: Autism is a minority group. NeuroTribes excerpt.
Neurological Pluralism and Psychological Safety
Neurodivergent people are psychological safety barometers.
We must build for the psychological safety and sensory safety of neurodivergent people. When we have Cavendish space where we can construct niches, we can make cool stuff.
- Caves, Campfires, Watering Holes
- Dandelions, Tulips, Orchids
- Red, Yellow, Green
- Conversation, Discussion, Publication
- Realtime, Async, Storage
These reductions are a useful starting place when designing for neurological pluralism. When we design for pluralism, we design for real life, for the actuality of humanity.
Understanding spiky profiles, learning terroir, collaborative niche construction, and special interests is critical to fostering neurological pluralism.
Neurological Pluralism: The Foundation
Neurological pluralism means:
- there is no single correct way to think, focus, feel, or learn
- variation is normal, not a deficit
- environments must adapt to people, not the other way around
Stimpunks uses these frameworks to make pluralism practical.
Cavendish Space: Context That Fits Real Minds
Cavendish Space names psychologically and sensory safe environments where people can:
- focus deeply
- collaborate intermittently
- regulate their nervous systems
- exist without masking or overload
It rejects the assumption of a neutral, one-size-fits-all space.
Neurological pluralism requires Cavendish Space because different minds need different conditions to thrive.
Not everyone can function in the same sensory, social, or temporal environment.
Collaborative Niche Construction: We Shape the Environment Together
Niche construction is the idea that living beings don’t just adapt to environments — they actively shape them.
At Stimpunks, this becomes collaborative niche construction:
- people co-design spaces, norms, workflows, and supports
- access is built, not requested
- the niche evolves as needs evolve
Neurological pluralism isn’t achieved by tolerance.
It’s achieved by redesigning the niche so many neurotypes can belong.
Caves, Campfires, and Watering Holes: Multiple Modes of Being
These are timeless patterns for different engagement needs:
- Caves = solitude, low stimulation, recovery, deep work
- Campfires = small-group learning, mentoring, shared meaning
- Watering Holes = open social exchange, peer connection, community flow
Pluralism means we don’t force everyone into one mode:
- not constant group work
- not constant isolation
- not constant performance
Different minds need different spaces at different times.
A pluralistic environment contains all three.
Lily Pads: Gentle Transitions for Monotropic Minds
Lily pads are structural landing points — colored blocks, grouped sections, pause zones — that reduce cognitive load and transitional trauma.
They support neurological pluralism by:
- allowing non-linear attention
- making re-entry easy after interruption
- turning change into survivable steps
- supporting recognition over recall
Pluralism isn’t just about having different spaces.
It’s about having safe ways to move between them.
Dandelions, Tulips, Orchids: Sensitivity Is Not a Flaw
This metaphor helps explain that people differ in environmental sensitivity:
- Dandelions thrive in many conditions
- Tulips need moderate support
- Orchids are highly shaped by context — harmed more by bad environments, but thriving deeply in good ones
Neurological pluralism means we design for orchids without treating them as broken.
When we build supportive Cavendish Space, orchids thrive — and everyone benefits.
How It All Works Together (One System)
- Neurological pluralism is the value
- Cavendish Space is the safe context
- Niche construction is the collective method
- Caves/campfires/watering holes are the spatial ecosystem
- Lily pads are the transition infrastructure
- Dandelions/tulips/orchids remind us that sensitivity varies and must be respected
Stimpunks Bottom Line
A pluralistic world is not built by asking diverse minds to cope harder.
It’s built by creating environments where:
- different nervous systems can regulate
- different attention styles can function
- different sensitivities can thrive
- and no one is punished for being an edge case
Edge cases are stress cases.
Design at the edges, and everyone lives better.
