@TECSHARE
I don't think that your argument is false in anyway, and I'll say again; I agree with your agenda and philosophy. We all live in societies of laws, and it's always best when those laws are unambiguous. I just don't think that, strictly speaking that has to be the way a forum is operated. It is just an internet forum.
To risk playing devils advocate; you said it yourself:
As far as I have read, Theymos actually considers himself "some what of a anarcho-capitalist"...
That argument alone demonstrates that he's less likely to implement a rigid set of guidelines for trust. And after all, it's his forum to operate as he sees fit. There are several illegal activities that play out here on the forum, and Theymos does little to prevent them. Some of those illegal activities are conducted legitimately, and people participate in them willingly. Some are down right scams. That's what I would expect from a self described anarcho-capitalist. The trust system applied the way it is allows the community to determine what is what is not trustworthy behavior despite the lack of rigid guidelines. It can lead to inaccurate ratings, but it can also
be worked out when errors occur.
I certainly don't claim it to be perfect, but what set of rigid guidelines is perfect? Cryptocurrencey was born, and adopted out of the desire and need to decentralize wealth. A relatively libertarian and anti-authoritarian philosophy, and it's likely to attract those who would like to put that philosophy into practice.
Well the thing is this forum is centralized by its nature, so on some levels this anarcho-capitalist ideal will never be possible, but maybe on some. Anarchy means without rulers, not without rules. Unfortunately like it or not Theymos is the defacto ruler so by definition anarchy of any sort is out the window. IMO something close to libertarian would be closest to the anarcho-capitalist goal while still taking into account the fact it is inherently centralized. Unfortunately what we have now is closer to a pure Democracy, also known as mob rule. Under this system the majority is always right and the individual has no rights. I really don't think anyone wants that, even Theymos.
The guidelines don't have to be rigid. I would propose Theymos advise a standard of evidence of theft, violation of contractual agreement, or violation of applicable laws as the standard for users leaving negative ratings. Users would present the evidence of these things in the appropriate section, and if need be make a neutral rating reference to the thread on their trust. Once the standard of evidence is met naturally others will want to negative rate them. This has become too much about playing cops and robbers and too little about justice and building a community.