[-empyre-] from the personal to the political, a p2p confession

Fri Jul 29 16:55:12 EST 2011

yes, I think this is probably a very good historical analogy ...

On Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 9:32 PM, <magnus at ditch.org.uk> wrote:

> > The benevolent dictator meme is in my view one of the more misleading
> > concepts for peer governance, because it is not really generally in any
> > way
> > someone that can dictate what people do, rather, most of the time, they
> > function as constitutional monarchs, with a power of moral arbitrage in
> > case
> > of internal conflict ...
>
> Hmm, something like the democracy aboard the pirate vessel (where the
> power of captaincy is bestowed by a consenus of the crew), with more or
> less defined articles of association.
>
> Magnus
>
> >
> > Michel
> >
> > On Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 5:54 PM, <magnus at ditch.org.uk> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi Michel,
> >>
> >> > hi magnus,
> >> >
> >> > this reminds me of a text by brian holmes I once read, where he wrote
> >> that
> >> > today art/creation, public intellectuality,  and social engagement,
> >> are
> >> > 'merging', not only in a new type of individual, but as a new type of
> >> > 'collective intellectual'. I think this is what the p2p foundation
> >> > purports
> >> > to be, not just a vehicle for one person or 'group' with the answer,
> >> but
> >> > as
> >> > a platform for the collective intelligence of a moving social field
> >> ...
> >> > I'm
> >> > guessing that Anonymous, on a much bigger scale than us, is also a
> >> similar
> >> > type of attempt, through their stress on anoninymity, makes it
> >> different,
> >> >
> >> > I also noticed in the recent 15m mobilisations, there is a tendency of
> >> at
> >> > least part of the movement to choose the new collectivity against any
> >> > individual manifestations of leadership ..
> >>
> >> Perhaps also these approaches are what Paolo and Julian in particular
> >> have
> >> written about in previous weeks?
> >>
> >> >
> >> > obviously in the p2p foundation, my own personality looms large
> >> >
> >> > I'm not sure what the good solution is, but I think that a 'transcend
> >> and
> >> > include' approach, which allows individuality to persist and be part
> >> of
> >>  a
> >> > new collective, is preferable ...
> >>
> >> Is this the 'benevolent dictator' question which has been (certainly in
> >> the past) a subject for Oekonux ( http://www.oekonux.org/ )
> >> participants?
> >>
> >> >
> >> > I must admit i'm still struggling with radical
> >> non-representationality,
> >> > also
> >> > in terms of political effectiveness; it reminds me a bit of the issue
> >> of
> >> > tribal structures .. as far as I know the 'flat structures' and
> >> governance
> >> > by the elders, was put on hold in times of conflict, with temporary
> >> > warchiefs directing the wars,but when they returned and the conflict
> >> was
> >> > over, their power withered ...
> >>
> >> Ultra-red ( http://www.ultrared.org ) work specifically to emphasize
> and
> >> experiment with hierarchies and flat(tening) structures. Also, many
> >> events
> >> convened by arika in the UK ( http://arika.org.uk/ ), which have
> >> included
> >> Mattin. I think his work on 'going fragile' might be relevant:
> >>
> >> http://www.mattin.org/essays/Going_Fragile_english_FINAL.html
> >>
> >> > It is probably when this withering away stopped occuring, that
> >> chiefdoms
> >> > and
> >> > eventually class society emerged; but while it worked, and really this
> >> was
> >> > the longest period of human history, against which class society is a
> >> mere
> >> > blip, there was room for individual leadership
> >> >
> >> > my feeling is that 'consensus' governance, has actually very high
> >> > transaction/coordination costs,
> >> >
> >> > compare anonymous to the personalized wikileaks, which outfit is the
> >> most
> >> > politically productive?
> >>
> >> Yes, I find that there is a lot more mess and uncertainty in the more
> >> distributed ways of doing. Even, is it less conclusive and could such
> >> openness be an acceptable end point?
> >>
> >> Best wishes,
> >>
> >> Magnus
> >>
> >> >
> >> > Michel
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > On Thu, Jul 28, 2011 at 4:13 AM, <magnus at ditch.org.uk> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> Hi Michel,
> >> >>
> >> >> Thanks for sharing this personal background with us... the positive,
> >> >> sweeping view, your sense of being a 'political artist' engaged in
> >> >> creative and performative acts and the constructive, bringing
> >> together
> >> >> of
> >> >> varied individuals and paradigms.
> >> >>
> >> >> Best wishes,
> >> >>
> >> >> Magnus
> >> >>
> >> >> > I'm not much of an art expert but rather the kind of person that
> >> gets
> >> >> > excited about ideas and visions, but those ideas and visions are
> >> very
> >> >> much
> >> >> > alive and present in my mind .. So I thought that I'd focus my
> >> first
> >> >> > contribution on political aspects of our work at the p2p
> >> foundation. I
> >> >> > will
> >> >> > comment later more specifically about piracy and its
> >> >> political-cultural
> >> >> > aspects. (well actually, after finishing this piece, it turns out I
> >> >> went
> >> >> > in
> >> >> > personal confession mode, something I have actually never done
> >> outside
> >> >> > this
> >> >> > forum)
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >  I hope people won't feel to uncomfortable with the personal
> >> >> background,
> >> >> > which is part of the story.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >  It all begin a first time about 14 years ago, when I had a 'annus
> >> >> > horribilis' that really shook me to the core, I think we're talking
> >> >> about
> >> >> > the period 1996-97. It was a year where my father died, my mother
> >> got
> >> >> > diagnosed with Alzheimer, the love of my life broke up, I
> >> discovered
> >> >> some
> >> >> > of
> >> >> > my business associates had a criminal background and had gone off
> >> with
> >> >> the
> >> >> > business funds; a movie I had been working on for three years,
> >> >> > TechnoCalyps,
> >> >> > got stalled because of a fight between the producer and the
> >> director,
> >> >> > cutting off my escape from the corporate world; and I had a major
> >> row
> >> >> with
> >> >> > my intellectual guru of the time, Ken Wilber (integral theory). Of
> >> >> course,
> >> >> > serious health consequences also ensued. It basically totally
> >> floored
> >> >> me
> >> >> > and
> >> >> > constituted my mid-life crisis. For me this is the time when you
> >> >> realize
> >> >> > your life is half over, and you realize that if you don't realize
> >> the
> >> >> > dreams
> >> >> > and ideals of your youth, you will die cynical and disappointed. It
> >> >> was
> >> >> > now
> >> >> > or never.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >  The way I saw it then, was that the major issue for me had been
> >> that
> >> >> I
> >> >> > had
> >> >> > given up on my ideals for the creation of a better world, as corny
> >> as
> >> >> this
> >> >> > may sound. It seemed to me that the passionate energy involved in
> >> that
> >> >> > desire, had been buried and was working against me, and that if I
> >> >> wanted
> >> >> > to
> >> >> > discover from the combined crisis, I had to reconnect with this
> >> source
> >> >> of
> >> >> > energy. It was also the time when I became increasingly convinced
> >> that
> >> >> all
> >> >> > the objective indicators of human and social life, were turning
> >> >> negative,
> >> >> > and that our civilisational model was hitting a wall.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >  The first thing question then was really, but how do we change
> >> this
> >> >> > overall
> >> >> > situation as a single individual, how do we engage without actually
> >> >> making
> >> >> > the situation worse.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >  As a youth, I had been a radical leftist, active within the rather
> >> >> > sectarian Militant tendency, then rather well-known in the UK. But
> >> >> this
> >> >> > engagement had led nowhere, was followed by the neoliberal
> >> >> > counterrevolution
> >> >> > of the 80s, and had personally exhausted me. Since I could not
> >> change
> >> >> the
> >> >> > world, I had concluded, by the time I was 23 and after seven years
> >> of
> >> >> > intense engagement, the only option was to change my 'self'. The
> >> >> problem
> >> >> > though was that I had emotionally broken with that type of life,
> >> and
> >> >> with
> >> >> > Marxism, but had not really gone through a rational process of
> >> >> thinking
> >> >> > through what was wrong with it, I had rather rejected it as a
> >> whole,
> >> >> even
> >> >> > ritually burning a suitcase full of my books (yes, I know, a crying
> >> >> > shame!).
> >> >> > Instead, I began a personal exploration that brought me in touch
> >> with,
> >> >> > more
> >> >> > or less in sequence, the human potential techniques, eastern
> >> spiritual
> >> >> > practices and theories, the western esoteric traditions (been a
> >> >> > rosicrucian,
> >> >> > a mason, a templar, had a alchemy teacher and drew Tarot cards),
> >> >> ending
> >> >> > with
> >> >> > a 3 year period of self-study of western philosophy by the time I
> >> was
> >> >> 30.
> >> >> > This may seem pretty fast, but I think I have a capacity of
> >> absorption
> >> >> of
> >> >> > ideas and concepts that is probably beyond the average. My method
> >> was
> >> >> > really
> >> >> > participant observation, going into a movement fully and without
> >> >> > reservation, practice the injunctions, see what it did with the
> >> >> bodymind
> >> >> > and
> >> >> > my personality structure, and when I thought I had absorbed its
> >> most
> >> >> > important core elements, move on. By my thirties then, feeling
> >> >> > substantially
> >> >> > transformed, I embarked on my business career, not because of a
> >> love
> >> >> of
> >> >> > the
> >> >> > corporate world, but because I felt it was an area of cultural
> >> >> dynamism,
> >> >> > in
> >> >> > which I could 'create' something and make something of my life.
> >> That
> >> >> was
> >> >> > the
> >> >> > period then that ended with that big personal crisis.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >  In any case, as I decide to go back to my roots and my youthful
> >> >> > engagement,
> >> >> > I felt the need to study Marx again, but at the same time, I
> >> dreaded
> >> >> the
> >> >> > effort of going through not only the primary texts, but also the
> >> major
> >> >> > interpretations of where it had gone wrong. Luckily then, I
> >> stumbled
> >> >> upon
> >> >> > Negri's Empire … It's not that I cannot find fault with the
> >> approach,
> >> >> but
> >> >> > here it seemed to me was at least a work with a sweeping vision, a
> >> >> > positive
> >> >> > view of the potential for change, and that had gone through a
> >> critique
> >> >> of
> >> >> > Marx …
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >  It is after this reading experience, which took me about three
> >> months
> >> >> of
> >> >> > internal struggles, that I decided to follow a basic intuition:
> >> that
> >> >> the
> >> >> > isomorphism of peer to peer, which I literarally saw emerging
> >> >> everywhere,
> >> >> > this great horizontalisation of human relationships through massive
> >> >> > self-aggregation around common value and affinities, was te lever
> >> of
> >> >> > change
> >> >> > I had been looking for. That civil society had now become
> >> productive,
> >> >> and
> >> >> > was no longer a derivative of the value creation of the corporate
> >> >> world,
> >> >> > but
> >> >> > rather the other way around, that social cooperation was becoming
> >> >> > increasingly primary, and that the older vertical institution were
> >> >> living
> >> >> > increasingly 'off' this new productivity.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >  I decided by the end of 2002, that I had to finally quit the
> >> >> corporate
> >> >> > world, take a 90% pay cut (actually 100% at first), and try to
> >> develop
> >> >> > this
> >> >> > basic intuition in all its consequences. With hindsight, the great
> >> >> crisis
> >> >> > of
> >> >> > 1996-97, when all had gone wrong that could go wrong, had been a
> >> true
> >> >> > 'born
> >> >> > again' moment in my life, which after a period of restoration and
> >> >> > maturation, led to the decision to create an autonomous life around
> >> a
> >> >> core
> >> >> > belief and intuition. Lucky for me, I had by then met my new thai
> >> >> wife, a
> >> >> > continual source of domestic happiness, and when I asked her if
> >> she'd
> >> >> > agree
> >> >> > with moving back to her home country, answered: don't worry, we
> >> will
> >> >> > always
> >> >> > have food and shelter, what else do we need … This was the final go
> >> >> ahead,
> >> >> > I
> >> >> > decided to quit my job by October 2002, taking my wife, new son, my
> >> >> mother
> >> >> > with Alzheimer, to Thailand.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >  I took a two year sabbatical, consisting of six months of travel
> >> >> within
> >> >> > Europe, six months of studying Thai history and culture at the
> >> local
> >> >> > university and one year of full-time reading, focusing on the long
> >> >> haul
> >> >> of
> >> >> > history and in particular the phase transition at the end of the
> >> Roman
> >> >> > Empire .. (and finally getting to read the postmodern authors I had
> >> >> always
> >> >> > missed out on). In 2005, I wrote my first manuscript on peer to
> >> peer;
> >> >> by
> >> >> > 2006, I started the online ecology, gradually introducing the wiki,
> >> >> the
> >> >> > blog, the social bookmarking … Somehow, though it is not at all
> >> >> > financially
> >> >> > sustainable, it seems to have been the good decision, and as the
> >> world
> >> >> > continued to evolve, p2p emerged as more than a marginal effect,
> >> >> people
> >> >> > were
> >> >> > slowly attracted to the basic ideas of the p2p foundation, and I
> >> could
> >> >> > build
> >> >> > a community of some type, and this year, a cooperative to achieve
> >> some
> >> >> > type
> >> >> > of sustainable livelyhood for the precarious researchers which
> >> hover
> >> >> > around
> >> >> > us … At home, the experience of my thai extented family, the
> >> >> > magical-mythical forms of consciousness overlayered with a whiff of
> >> >> > postmodern capitalism, the 19 cats, 3 dogs, porcupine, birds and
> >> fish,
> >> >> the
> >> >> > occasional visting monkey ; together with the online network, the
> >> >> > equipotential cooperation and the lecture tours, give me a quite
> >> >> > extraordinary relational wealth, not bad for a single child of two
> >> >> orphan
> >> >> > parents … In some way, I feel like a 'political artist', not that
> >> I'm
> >> >> > particularly creative culturally and artistically, but I have to
> >> live,
> >> >> > from
> >> >> > my 'creations', sell my performances, and go through the precarity
> >> >> that
> >> >> is
> >> >> > the lot of most artists and creators ..
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >  Anyway, what then, is the p2p foundation, it is really nothing
> >> else
> >> >> than
> >> >> > the ambitious attempt to create a new vehicle for the world
> >> >> revolution,
> >> >> > not
> >> >> > the only one, but hopefully one that can be a positive factor; a
> >> >> pluralist
> >> >> > organisation, that does not know the 'answers' but facilitates the
> >> >> ongoing
> >> >> > dialogue around those answers, bringing very varied sorts of people
> >> >> > together
> >> >> > … Precisely because of my convoluted past, having touched many
> >> >> different
> >> >> > ideological and lifeworlds, I can bring together on the same table,
> >> a
> >> >> > 'zionic' social economy mormon, a conservative catholic
> >> distributist,
> >> >> a
> >> >> > deep
> >> >> > ecological permaculturist, a unrepentent marxist, a anti-capitalist
> >> >> 'freed
> >> >> > market' mutualist, and many other strange manifestations of the
> >> human
> >> >> > desire
> >> >> > for change. Rather than looking for universal answers, we are
> >> looking
> >> >> for
> >> >> > commonality of desire. But this ongoing effort is helped by the
> >> >> > 'objective'
> >> >> > changes in society, and by the new class realities of knowledge
> >> >> workers.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >  I cannot help but be truly convinced that “p2p” is the chaotic
> >> >> attractor
> >> >> > that we need to reformulate the emancipatory vision that is
> >> >> appropriate
> >> >> > for
> >> >> > the 21st century. Technology is NOT the change, but it enables
> >> >> struggling
> >> >> > creative minorities to find new ways to outsmart the forces that
> >> are
> >> >> > against
> >> >> > emancipation and that are presently literally and physically,
> >> >> destroying
> >> >> > our
> >> >> > biosphere. As the system will increasingly go in crisis mode, these
> >> >> > struggling minorities will be joined by the desperate majorities,
> >> who
> >> >> turn
> >> >> > to p2p solutions not out of any idealism, but as the necessary tool
> >> >> for
> >> >> > resilience and survival. The key question then becomes, how do
> >> create
> >> >> a
> >> >> > synergy between the new p2p thinking, the construction of new ways
> >> of
> >> >> > life,
> >> >> > and the mass mobilisations that are the inevitable result of the
> >> >> breaking
> >> >> > of
> >> >> > the social contracts on which capitalist life was based until now?
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> > --
> >> >> > P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  -
> >> >> http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss:
> >> >> >
> http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation
> >> >> >
> >> >> > Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens;
> >> http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens;
> >> >> > http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens
> >> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> >> > empyre forum
> >> >> > empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> >> >> > http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >> _______________________________________________
> >> >> empyre forum
> >> >> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> >> >> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> >> >>
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> > P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  -
> >> http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
> >> >
> >> > Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss:
> >> > http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation
> >> >
> >> > Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens;
> >> > http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens
> >> > _______________________________________________
> >> > empyre forum
> >> > empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> >> > http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> >>
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> empyre forum
> >> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> >> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net  -
> http://blog.p2pfoundation.net
> >
> > Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss:
> > http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation
> >
> > Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens;
> > http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens
> > _______________________________________________
> > empyre forum
> > empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> > http://www.subtle.net/empyre
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> empyre forum
> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
>

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