[ox-en] Oekonux book
- From: Stefan Merten <smerten oekonux.de>
- Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:35:12 +0100
Hi list!
Those who have participated longer in Oekonux may remember that once
in a while we discussed the option of an Oekonux book. Finally I made
up my mind: The Oekonux book needs to be written now! I am ready to do
most of the work to make this happen.
The topic of the book will be
Peer production as a new mode of production
I.e. the central underlying topic of the whole Oekonux debate. It will
explain basic Oekonux theory fragments stitching them together to form
a comprehensible big picture.
Instead of a collection of more or less independent articles it will
have a story line. It should follow a scientific approach but on the
other hand it needs to be comprehensible enough to be readable for the
general public.
It will be in English. The main writing should be done until the end
of 2012 - though this is not a fixed date but more a goal to work
towards.
As of now I'm not completely sure of how exactly this will work. What
I know, however, is this: I don't want to do it alone. So during the
last few weeks I asked some friends for their contribution. StefanMz,
Graham, FranzN and ChristianS agreed to contribute. It's my goal that
none of them needs to disagree with anything in the book.
Apart from that this list will be integrated into the work - of
course. Ideas generated on the list should be integrated into the book
by the main authors. This way I hope to achieve some straightness
which makes it easier for readers. At the same time I think it is
interesting to discuss the book in depth here. May be the text
fragments for the book can be put here and discussed.
Here is the coarse-grained story line I'm thinking of so far:
1. Explain the basic concepts mode of production and peer production
2. Infer theoretically by what a new mode of production can be
recognized
3. Recognize peer production as a new mode of production
4. Look at the historical practice so far
5. Take a peek into the future
Here is a provisional outline for the book:
I. Theory: Peer production as a new mode of production
1. Mode of production explained
* Reference to Marx
* Importance of the mode of production
2. Peer production explained
* Main characteristics of peer production
* Internal / external openness
* Selbstentfaltung
* Reference to Oekonux
* Reference to Yochaï Benkler
* Reference to Steven Weber
3. Development explained: The five-step-model
4. Enablers of a new mode of production
* The role of technology
* The role of thinking
* The role of culture
II. Practice: A new mode of production takes shape
1. Evidence for a new mode of production
* Free Software
* Wikipedia
* Open Access, Free Hardware, Free Music, Open Streetmap
2. Connections and disconnections between peer production regime
and capitalism
* Copyright and copyleft
3. Crisis of capitalism
* Positive feedback cycle in commons-based peer production
* Message: We are at the brink of a new era
4. Similarities and differences to capitalism
* Thesis - antithesis - synthesis
* Lack of alienation
* Motives of contributors
* Availability of product
5. Governance in peer production
III. Outlook
1. What to expect
* Wikipedia as a follow-up to Free Software
2. Promoting peer production
* What to do
* What to avoid
* Hope in exchange based systems
3. Utopia?
* Why a concrete Utopia doesn't make sense
* Concrete Utopia *cannot* be imagined today
* An abstract Utopia
I also started a Wiki page at
http://en.wiki.oekonux.org/Oekonux/Project/Book/ModeOfProduction
Grüße
Stefan