Capitalism and Anarchy
I just read an interesting article on the bbc news website.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4020259.stm
The reason I bring this up is that part of my inspiration for starting this blog was a short email debate with my dear friend SF that came about as a result of an article I wrote defending capitalism. SF is an anarchist activist, and one of the sticking points for me about the anti-capitalist/anarchist position is that I don't necessarily see capitalism and anarchy as fundamentally opposed. Actually, capitalism in its idealized form would be a sort of economic anarchy. Anyway, this article struck me because it's an example where a technological industry has developed in the absense of a central authority. This might not be particularly unusual were it an industry related to basic necessities of life; people will always pull together to feed themselves. But the fact that in the absense of any government and in a state of great instability, internet service providers have thrived in Somalia, is very telling. To me, it speaks to the importance of communication, and the fact that access to information has evolved in significance to the level of a fundamental human drive.
I do not belive that the current structures of political/economic power are necessary to the existence of a technologically advanced society. Nor do I see them as the inevitable conclusion of capitalist theory.
I believe that humans, left to their own intelligence will inevitably create means to develop new tools of communication. Because for so long, the technology by which information was distributed was so specialized and difficult to manufacture, the power of information has been held by a very few, which gave them a great deal of power. The internet is the most decentralized, anarchist structure ever created. It is quickly tearing at the fabric of the information monopoly (which is, in response, working as quickly as possible to centralize itself through corporate media mergers, legislation, and geo-political maneuvering). As information becomes liberated from centralized methods of distribution, it becomes increasingly more important to choose with discernment what information to take in, and what to do with it. To me this is a very exciting time to be alive.
On a personal note, if you've read this far, you proably have noticed my rather tangential way of writing. This is how I think, and how I talk. I'll try to make concise points when it's appropriate. But otherwise, I'm just going to go with it for now. This is an experiment for me, and no doubt will evolve and change with time.
It's very late now, so I'm returning to the warm, dark bliss of my bed and companion.
Good night.
PanDoor
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4020259.stm
The reason I bring this up is that part of my inspiration for starting this blog was a short email debate with my dear friend SF that came about as a result of an article I wrote defending capitalism. SF is an anarchist activist, and one of the sticking points for me about the anti-capitalist/anarchist position is that I don't necessarily see capitalism and anarchy as fundamentally opposed. Actually, capitalism in its idealized form would be a sort of economic anarchy. Anyway, this article struck me because it's an example where a technological industry has developed in the absense of a central authority. This might not be particularly unusual were it an industry related to basic necessities of life; people will always pull together to feed themselves. But the fact that in the absense of any government and in a state of great instability, internet service providers have thrived in Somalia, is very telling. To me, it speaks to the importance of communication, and the fact that access to information has evolved in significance to the level of a fundamental human drive.
I do not belive that the current structures of political/economic power are necessary to the existence of a technologically advanced society. Nor do I see them as the inevitable conclusion of capitalist theory.
I believe that humans, left to their own intelligence will inevitably create means to develop new tools of communication. Because for so long, the technology by which information was distributed was so specialized and difficult to manufacture, the power of information has been held by a very few, which gave them a great deal of power. The internet is the most decentralized, anarchist structure ever created. It is quickly tearing at the fabric of the information monopoly (which is, in response, working as quickly as possible to centralize itself through corporate media mergers, legislation, and geo-political maneuvering). As information becomes liberated from centralized methods of distribution, it becomes increasingly more important to choose with discernment what information to take in, and what to do with it. To me this is a very exciting time to be alive.
On a personal note, if you've read this far, you proably have noticed my rather tangential way of writing. This is how I think, and how I talk. I'll try to make concise points when it's appropriate. But otherwise, I'm just going to go with it for now. This is an experiment for me, and no doubt will evolve and change with time.
It's very late now, so I'm returning to the warm, dark bliss of my bed and companion.
Good night.
PanDoor
posted by PanDoor at 1:42 AM
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