Classification of the Mayflower Compact

Abstract: This presentation will describe one part of a general investigation of the structure of negotiated agreements. The main question is, What are the fundamental forms of agreement and can human and AI classifiers reliably place agreements into agreement categories? The narrower question, and the object of this presentation is, What kind of agreement is the Mayflower Compact, and can an AI reliably classify it? The Mayflower Compact is important for being among the first agreements achieved by European immigrants in the Western Hemisphere and it established self-governance of a group of people who lost their way and who faced internal group conflict. If agreements can be reliably categorized, it suggests new avenues for systematic investigation on an important part – perhaps the most important part – of negotiation and social conflict. Both human and AI classifiers see the Mayflower Compact as Superordination, one of eight basic forms of agreement.

Keywords: Agreement, Classification, AI, Mayflower Compact, Conflict Resolution