[p2p-research] A basic income guarantee versus peer production

[Michel Bauwens]

On Wed, Jul 1, 2009 at 12:29 AM, Paul D. Fernhout <
pdfernhout at kurtz-fernhout.com> wrote:

> Thanks for the clarification.
>
> It still seems to me thatt libertarians and Republican fiscal conservatives
> make a similar argument for unchained capitalism being "hyper-productive"
> potentially and thus bringing abundance to all. :-) And many of them are on
> local chambers of commerces, promoting local industry, for local abundance.
> So, there is the basis for a dialog there, at least. :-)


I'm not sure if you mean this tongue in cheek or not ...

My own approach is that as we discover peer production as the most conducive
to human happiness, because we experience it as the free engagement of
passionate pursuits, then we also naturally seek to extend its scope, and to
ally it with those practices that are ethically closests..., as we also see
to extend our personal and collective autonomy. In this sense, I believe
that the gift economy and equitable market and exchange forms are much
closer than the higly unjust and unequal form of capitalism that we have
now, which also is unsustainable as a infinite growth system ..

I think we can ally ourselves with any social force that is 'practically'
for peer production, putting differences under brackets, including
libertarians, neotraditionalists, etc.. agreeing to disagree on other
matters, but again, with a preference for those forces that are 'ethically'
closest ...



>
>
> Or some soul searching about the true difference? :-) There is no doubt
> some difference in sentiment and hopes and vision. I'm learning more and
> more about the differences and overlap with other ideas, so that's good;
> more written here by those who know might be helpful:
>  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commons-based_peer_production
>
> And thanks to others for the other replies.
>
> I also agree with Andy's comment that: "So the system is segmentary - in
> old-fashioned terms, there's a "contradiction" between the logics of the two
> spheres (gift-economy/tribute hybrid, and capitalism).  The question being,
> whether the segmentarity is sustainable - whether capitalism maintains its
> profitability without strong economic coercion. One could moot a strategy
> where gift economy starts out in a little corner and colonises the whole,
> but Offe and Przeworski would suggest that this would impact profit margins
> - beyond a certain point, the transition has to be "all of nothing"."
>
> What is interesting about the basic income and peer production is that the
> first objection people often raise to a basic income is that everyone will
> be lazy and not produce. But then the next objection they raise is that
> everyone will suddenly produce goods, services, and information for "free",
> which will ruin the classical money economy. Interesting irony there. :-)
>
> --Paul Fernhout
> http://www.pdfernhout.net/
>
> Michel Bauwens wrote:
>
>> Hi Paul,
>>
>> regarding your question,
>>
>> peer production is a mode of production and it can exist co-exist with
>> different types of political economy ...
>>
>> peer production is for the moment 'hyper-productive' in terms of
>> generating
>> 'use value', but does not work for 'social reproduction', at least not
>> directly. Capitalism itself is becoming ever more flexible and fraught
>> with
>> risk for personal and social survival.
>>
>> So the basic income makes sense both as a broader social solution for risk
>> in general, and as a specific way to allow more people to engage in peer
>> production ... until that time as society has discovered a more proper way
>> to integrate peer production is a more adapted political economy that can
>> profit from this hyperproductivity.
>>
>> However, I have doubts about its political realization. Yes, there are
>> reports and discussions, but at the same time very strong opposition and I
>> see little progress ...
>>
>
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