Don't you think that this link is a key element to achieve the
"triple-free peer production", defined by Tere Vaden (23.11.2007) as
including "the ownership [not the best term] of the means of
production down to the level of electricity, the physical infra,
etc."?
A triple free peer production needs the commons, even for means of
production for physical goods and natural ressources. This is clearly
explained in Christians "contribution-model" of peer production. The
important debate, which is still open and we need to develop here, is
the transition to such a contribution model when dominant capitalism
exists in parallel. The co-existence is the big challenge. And the germ
form concept comes to its importance, because a new way of peer
production is only a way which is both, in advantage of capitalism
while at the same time against its principles (cf. my mail about
dialectics from 21. nov., 13:08). When a germ form could be integrated
into the old, than is was not a "new", it was only a re-newed old.
A lesson what we can learn from several historical trials is, that we
cannot start from the question of ownership: first conquer the
ownership, then build a new society -- no, this does not work. We can
learn, that ownership is a result of the development of the way to
produces our lives and of the productive forces, it was always in
history in this sequence. Thus, we have to develop a new way of
production using most developed productive forces, and then ownership
will follow. "Will follow" does not mean automatically, there will be
fights. But it would be the right sequence: First the production, then
the societal form. We saw this "logical" sequence in free software and
free culture movement: The concept of commons was developed when it was
needed objetively, and not before. Now, we made a big step forward,
because we roughly have a concept of the new way of production: peer
production. We need to go more into details (yes, reading Christians
book for example), but we know roughly what we want! Again, this notion
of peer production could only be found after developing the practices
in reality, and then generalizing it as a concept.
Ciao,
Stefan
--
Start here: www.meretz.de
_________________________________
Web-Site: http://www.oekonux.org/
Organization: http://www.oekonux.de/projekt/
Contact:
projekt oekonux.de