Freedom of Expression of DNA and the DANA Secular State

When I talk about freedom of expression, I’m not thinking only about opinions on social media or debates in parliament.

I’m thinking about something much more primal:

the freedom of expression of our DNA –
the right of every body to live, grow, feel and think
without being suffocated by dogmas, markets or algorithms.

From the fertilized egg cell onwards, our DNA is not a rigid destiny.
It is a dynamic intelligence that responds to environment:

• temperature, light, sounds, food, affection, fear, care;
  
  

• later, culture, language, belief systems, technology.
  
  

This DNA intelligence is constantly “expressing itself” in the body:

• turning genes on and off,
  
  

• modulating metabolism and hormones,
  
  

• sculpting the brain and its networks.
  
  

A child growing up in an environment of affection, safety and curiosity
will express one way of being.

The same DNA, under hunger, fear and humiliation,
will shape another kind of brain, another emotional landscape.

For me, freedom of expression begins here:

a State that truly protects freedom
must protect the conditions for DNA to express itself fully
before protecting any ideology that tries to control that expression.

That’s why I talk about a DANA Secular State.

What I call DANA

I use DANA as a way to name:

• the intelligence of DNA,
  
  

• understood as a common biological ground for all humans and other forms of life,
  
  

• without turning that into a religion, church or dogma.
  
  

DANA is:

a neutral spirituality of the secular State,
that puts the protection of life and its processes
above any doctrine – political, religious or economic.

In other words:

• before defending “freedom of religion”,
  
  

• the State must defend the freedom of the living body
  
  

• to develop a healthy brain, a stable emotional metabolism and a sense of belonging.
  
  

The DANA Secular State is not “against religions”.
It is against any religion or ideology that attacks the intelligence of the body:

• practices that cause physical or psychological harm,
  
  

• discourses that deny evidence and produce mass suffering,
  
  

• manipulations that use guilt, fear and desire to silence critical thinking.
  
  

DNA, brain and freedom: why this is also neuroscience

Modern neuroscience and epigenetics have been showing, again and again, that:

• early experiences leave marks on gene expression and brain structure;
  
  

• chronic stress alters circuits involved in emotion and decision-making;
  
  

• social environment and belief systems are not just “ideas” – they are part of the body’s information flow.
  
  

Studies on early adversity and brain development show that exposure to violence, neglect or extreme deprivation is associated with:

• differences in hippocampus and amygdala volume,
  
  

• changes in prefrontal cortex structure and connectivity,
  
  

• higher risk of anxiety, depression and impulse control problems later in life.
  
  

From a DANA point of view, this is simple:

environments that systematically attack the body
are forms of censorship of DNA.
They suppress the free expression of the organism’s intelligence.

Research on interoception – our perception of internal bodily states – shows that:

• the insula integrates signals from organs, muscles and viscera;
  
  

• these signals influence how we evaluate risks, rewards and moral decisions;
  
  

• better interoceptive awareness is linked to more balanced choices in economic and emotional contexts.
  
  

If a belief system teaches you:

• to ignore your body,
  
  

• to distrust your sensations,
  
  

• to treat your own needs as “sin”,
  
  

then this is not “freedom of expression” – it is epistemic and metabolic violence.

The DANA Secular State, for me, has a duty to:

• guarantee that children and adolescents have access to environments that nurture
  interoception, proprioception, curiosity and critical thinking;
  
  

• prevent practices (religious, political or commercial) that systematically damage
  the developing brain and emotional metabolism.
  
  

Freedom of expression from the DNA upwards

When Constitutions talk about “freedom of expression”, they usually mean:

• freedom to speak, write, publish, assemble.
  
  

That is important.

But I want to go a level deeper:

freedom of expression is also
the right of the organism to not be colonized
by narratives that mutilate its own intelligence.

This includes:

1. Religious colonization
   
   

• doctrines that teach hatred of the body,
  
  

• denial of scientific evidence in health and education,
  
  

• persecution of other ways of believing and existing.
  
  

2. Market colonization
   
   

• advertising and platforms that hijack attention and emotions from early childhood,
  
  

• shaping desire around consumerism, debt and permanent comparison,
  
  

• using personal data to push people into addictions and financial traps.
  
  

3. Algorithmic colonization
   
   

• recommendation systems that constantly expose people to fear, rage and conspiracy,
  
  

• reinforcing stereotypes and prejudices,
  
  

• isolating individuals in echo chambers disconnected from reality.
  
  

From a DANA perspective, the State cannot be neutral in front of this.
Neutrality, in practice, means letting the most powerful colonizer win.

What a DANA Secular State would protect

A DANA Secular State would:

• protect religious freedom,
  as long as rituals and doctrines do not produce systematic harm
  to the body and brain (especially in children);
  
  

• protect freedom of expression,
  as long as it does not become organized incitement to violence,
  dehumanization or denial of the basic rights of others;
  
  

• protect scientific evidence as a common language
  for checking the limits of practices and beliefs;
  
  

• protect minors from invasive manipulation of their attention and emotions
  by markets and platforms that treat them as raw data.
  
  

It is not about policing thought.
It is about putting DANA – the intelligence of life – as the first criterion:

any institution, belief or business
that wants to act over people
must pass through the question:

does this strengthen or sabotage
the free expression of the body’s intelligence?

Draft constitutional article (in Spanish)

Artículo X – Libertad de Expresión del ADN y Estado Laico DANA

1. El Estado reconoce la inteligencia inscrita en el ADN de los seres humanos y de otras formas de vida como base biológica común de la existencia y fundamento del derecho a desarrollar plenamente el cuerpo, el cerebro y la conciencia, sin imposiciones ideológicas que lesionen dicho desarrollo.
   
   

2. La libertad de expresión comprende no sólo la manifestación de ideas u opiniones, sino también el derecho de las personas, en especial niñas, niños y adolescentes, a condiciones de vida que permitan la expresión saludable de su metabolismo físico, afectivo y cognitivo, de acuerdo con la evidencia científica disponible.
   
   

3. El Estado Laico DANA garantizará la separación entre las instituciones públicas y las organizaciones religiosas, filosóficas o comerciales, y velará porque ninguna de ellas pueda imponer prácticas que vulneren la integridad física o psíquica, en particular cuando se trate de personas menores de edad o en situación de especial vulnerabilidad.
   
   

4. La enseñanza religiosa en espacios públicos deberá respetar el carácter laico del Estado, la diversidad de creencias y la primacía del bienestar físico y mental de las personas, ajustándose a los límites establecidos por la ciencia con evidencia en materia de salud y derechos humanos.
   
   

5. La ley regulará la protección de niñas, niños y adolescentes frente a formas de comunicación y de explotación comercial o digital que, mediante la manipulación sistemática de la atención, el miedo o la culpa, comprometan el desarrollo saludable de su cerebro, su interocepción y su capacidad de juicio crítico.
   
   

Suggested references (publications, all with comments – 3 are neuroscientific)

1. Meaney, M. J. (2010). “Epigenetics and the biological definition of gene × environment interactions.” Child Development.
   Shows how early environmental experiences can change gene expression and shape brain and behavior through epigenetic mechanisms. It supports the idea that “freedom of expression” begins at the level of how DNA can or cannot express itself under certain conditions.
   
   

2. McEwen, B. S., & Morrison, J. H. (2013). “The brain on stress: Vulnerability and plasticity of the prefrontal cortex over the life course.” Neuron.
   Explains how chronic stress affects prefrontal cortex and emotion-regulation circuits. This underpins the argument that social, religious or economic environments that maintain bodies in constant threat states are, in fact, suppressing the healthy expression of brain intelligence.
   
   

3. Teicher, M. H. et al. (2016). “Childhood adversity and structural brain development: Biological mechanisms and clinical implications.” European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
   Reviews evidence that exposure to violence and neglect in childhood is associated with changes in hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal regions. It helps to frame harmful ideologies and environments as biological censorship of development, not only as moral problems.
   
   

4. Craig, A. D. (2009). “How do you feel — now? The anterior insula and human awareness.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
   Presents the anterior insula as a central hub for interoception and conscious awareness of bodily states. It supports the notion that suppressing bodily awareness is a way of undermining autonomy and critical feeling, which a DANA Secular State should protect.
   
   

5. Kirk, U., Downar, J., & Montague, P. R. (2011). “Interoception drives increased rational decision-making in economic games.” Cerebral Cortex.
   Shows that better interoceptive awareness is associated with more rational economic decisions. This reinforces the idea that protecting body awareness (rather than demonizing it) is key for autonomy and freedom of choice.
   
   

6. Zuboff, S. (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. PublicAffairs.
   Analyzes how digital platforms capture personal data and behavior to predict and shape actions. It provides a framework for understanding algorithmic colonization of attention and desire, which DANA must confront to protect the body’s intelligence.
   
   

7. Noble, S. U. (2018). Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism. NYU Press.
   Shows how supposedly neutral algorithms reproduce discrimination. It is a key reference for thinking about how expressions of identity and belief are filtered and distorted by infrastructures that the State cannot ignore.
   
   

8. UN Human Rights Council (2021). “Freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief and the digital age.” Special Rapporteur report.
   Discusses how digital technologies affect freedom of thought and belief, and calls for safeguards against manipulation and coercion. It supports the idea that a secular State today must also regulate digital environments to protect inner freedom.
   
   

Chile – 12 Fundamentos para una Nueva Constitución

Libertad de Expresión del ADN y Estado Laico DANA

Principio Biocéntrico: el ser humano como parte del bioma, no su señor

Estado Plurinacional y Cuerpo-Territorio: pueblos originarios como guardianes del ADN de la Tierra

Comunicación Viva: enfrentando el poder de los 01s sobre medios, deuda y narrativas

Buen Vivir Metabólico: economía al servicio de la vida, no de la ganancia de los 01s

Democracia de Quorum Sensing Humano: otra forma de decidir en sociedad

DREX CIUDADANO CHILENO: moneda metabólica para distribuir existencia y proteger el bioma

Créditos de Carbono, Ciudadanía Climática y DREX INMIGRANTE: pertenencia más allá de las fronteras

Soberanía de Datos DANA: tributación de la minería de datos humanos por los municipios

Centros de Datos Ecológicos Municipales y Red de Pagos Local: cuando el PIX no se apaga

Democracia Metabólica de los Biomas: cuando la Constitución deja de ser promedio y se vuelve territorio vivo

Jiwasa y Sistemas Complejos: liderazgo orgánico por pautas y biomas

 
Una Nueva Constitución Chilena  - Politica Decolonial

Chile - 12 Fundamento para uma Nova Constituição

Liberdade de Expressão do DNA e Estado Laico DANA

Princípio Biocêntrico: o humano como parte do bioma, não senhor

Estado Plurinacional e Corpo-Território: povos originários como guardiões do DNA da Terra

Comunicação Viva: enfrentando o poder dos 01s sobre mídia, dívida e narrativas

Bem-Viver Metabólico: economia a serviço da vida, não do lucro dos 01s

Democracia de Quorum Sensing Humano: outra forma de decidir em sociedade

DREX CIDADÃO CHILENO: moeda metabólica para distribuir existência e proteger o bioma

Créditos de Carbono, Cidadania Climática e DREX IMIGRANTE: pertencimento para além das fronteiras

Soberania de Dados DANA: taxação da mineração de dados humanos pelos municípios

Datacentros ecológicos municipais e rede de pagamentos local: quando o PIX não desliga

Democracia Metabólica de Biomas: quando a Constituição deixa de ser média e vira território vivo

Jiwasa e Sistemas Complexos: liderança orgânica por pautas e biomas

Chile – 12 Foundations for a New Constitution

Freedom of Expression of DNA and the DANA Secular State

Biocentric Principle: the Human as Part of the Biome, Not Its Master

Plurinational State and Body-Territory: Indigenous Peoples as Guardians of the Earth’s DNA

Living Communication: Confronting the Power of the 01s over Media, Debt and Narratives

Metabolic Well-Being: An Economy at the Service of Life, Not of the 01s’ Profit

Democracy of Human Quorum Sensing: Another Way of Deciding in Society

Chilean DREX Cidadão: Metabolic Currency to Distribute Existence and Protect the Biome

Carbon Credits, Climate Citizenship and DREX Immigrant: Belonging Beyond Borders

DANA Data Sovereignty: Taxing Human Data Mining Through Municipalities

Municipal Ecological Datacenters and Local Payment Networks: When PIX Never Turns Off

Metabolic Democracy of Biomes: When the Constitution Stops Being an Average and Becomes Living Territory

Jiwasa and Complex Systems: Organic Leadership by Issues and Biomes