RE: [OS:N:] RE: N:] Open Source as a form of Anarcho-Communism?

["Paul Fitz" <pfitz dodo com au>]

Hi Brent,


> Anarcho-communism disregards Lockean concepts of private property, which
> Open source does (to an extent) by opposing intellectual copyright -
> copyleft instead of copyright.
>
> Open sourcers reject capitalist ideology of supply-demand economics, open
> source programmers actively give their Intellectual property away - to 1
or
> 10'000'000 people.

YOU SAID: "I think that blanket generalizations such as these are usually a
shaky
foundation to build a thesis on.  This is like saying, "All musicians
reject the theory of relativity."  It's impossible to prove."

Yep, thats right, at the very least it should read "elements of the open
source community..."  Just very bad wording (it's not a thesis by the way, I
couldn't make this idea stick for a thesis LOL :) )

However -
I stand by the first comment.  As I have indicated in the previous emails, I
see intellectual property as an extension of lockean property rights - an
essential individual right.  A rejection of that notion by people in the
open source community could be seen as a rejection of at least one element
of liberalist/capitalist philosophy.

By rejection of supply-demand economics I suggest that the Open source
programmers reject the notion that if there is a high demand for a product,
they must charge a high price.  That is some pretty basic economic theory
there.  Their act of giving their property away in an open marketplace,
regardless of the demand is a rejection of supply/demand economics, a tenent
of modern capitalism.  Now, many(all? none?) of the open sources see it in
this way, but thats why it's great to discuss, there are many
opinions/ideas!

YOU SAID:
"It is impossible to say that all "Open Sourcers" agree on anything
except that the idea of sharing code is a good way to build software.
Open Source software may have the effect of commoditizing the software
industry but that strengthens a free-market economy, not rejects it.  "

Very true, it is a diverse community, full of diverse opinions, many very
interesting ones, such as yours :)

On a side note:
It's interesting that people keep talking about an absolutely free market
economy as being demonstrated by capitalist theory and attached to locke.  I
think it is more a neo-liberalist theory adopted within the last century.
Adam Smith himself acknowledged that unfettered factory owners would not
always do the right thing by their employers.  With neo-liberalist
fundamentalism, a truly free market place couldn't have labour laws
(protecting a certain level of income), as they are an artificial impediment
to the labour market where supply-demand laws should have the rule.  Hence
the neo-con and neo-lib move towards global markets, where they can choose a
country to position their labour marketplace.  Effectively playing countries
off against one another.  "If taiwan has this law saying we must pay minimum
wages, we'll move to southern china where they economic development zones
and a weak dollar".
------------------------------------------------------


YOU SAID:" Open Source has much more in common with Gutenburg's printing
press than
with Marx's Communist Manifesto.  Open Source allows the user of a piece
of software to see how it works and to change it....it's not about
overthrowing governments or rejecting capitalism.  It's important to not
mistake cooperation with communism or freedom with anarchy."

It definitely has a lot to do with the printing press and nature of the
technology.
I never said it was about over-throwing governments or rejecting the entire
capitalist doctrine per se.  Only adapting elements of those theories and
rejecting others, inside a micro-commnuity inside the internet.

Here's a quick interpretation of anarchy "Anarchism is the doctrine which
proposes that society shall be reorganized on the basis of small,
self-governing communities in which the land, produce, and machinery of
production will be owned in common, and the power of the political state
abolished in order that the fullest measure of individual liberty and
equality may prevail. "
and
"The philosophy of anarchism represents the most literal form of
individualism, as well as collectivism. It is the most extreme opposite of
what is termed "fascism". It conceives of man as naturally good and just,
rational in his outlook, cooperative in his relationships with others. "

See any similarities with the open source commuinity?
I'm not sure and am still looking :)

Thanks for the feedback.,
Paul