[p2p-research] thinking about leapfrogging

[Michel Bauwens]

Hi Marco,

I agree with you, in the sense that we should not be blinded by the
distributed nature of the technology or production process itself, but by
the social peer to peer relationships that it enables.

What the leapfrogging debate also usually forgets, is that it is also
dependent on non-technical variables such as the social and political
balance of power, I don't think technology, however distributed, is
sufficient by itself, it only becomes efficient if it meshes with the
emerging desires of a powerful human community,

and that community will most likely use mixed or hybrid organisational and
technical forms.

However, in many cases, a distributed form will offer more guarantees that
the distributed relationships won't be endangered,

Michel

On Thu, Oct 2, 2008 at 4:19 PM, M. Fioretti <mfioretti at nexaima.net> wrote:

> On Thu, Oct 02, 2008 01:23:13 AM -0500, Kevin Carson wrote:
> > On 10/1/08, Vinay Gupta <hexayurt at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> http://www.appropedia.org/User:Vinay_Gupta#Envisioning_a_Leapfrogged_World
> >
> > "Leapfrogging... is the idea that countries without basic
> > infrastructure like universal telecommunications can go directly to
> > the best, most fitting solutions without having labor through the
> > developmental struggle of telegraph, manually-switched telephony,
> > direct-dial, brick-sized cell phones, analog cell phones, 3G digital."
> >
> > It also means, IMO, leapfrogging what Lewis Mumford called
> > "paleotechnic" production methods (centrally located Dark Satanic
> > mills producing on a large scale for large market areas) to neotechnic
> > methods instead (small-scale production using free-standing
> > electrically powered machinery, for local economies--including for the
> > household and barter economy).
> >
> > It's not just the consumer goods technology that's leapfrogged, it's
> > the economic model.
>
> leapfrogging from smoke signals to cell phones is possible exactly
> because those cell phones, switches, antennas and what not are
> produced and maintained in a manner as far from "household and barter
> economy" as it exists today.
>
> Leapfrogging from some centuries old social/economic organization and
> culture directly to a western-mentality lifestyle is possible,
> instead, and it's probably equally possible to leapfrog directly from
> those obsolete social frame of minds to the next Big Good Thing, like
> P2P. But that doesn't necessarily imply, I believe, that everything
> around or below that level (economy, technology) should or ever could
> leapfrog in the same way.
>
> What if the only possible leapfrogging and also the most important one
> is the one in social relationship?
>
> Marco
>
> --
> Your own civil rights and the quality of your life heavily depend on how
> software is used *around* you:            http://digifreedom.net/node/84
>
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>



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