[p2p-research] Building Alliances (state and commons)

[Michel Bauwens]

It is certainly a possible, if not plausible, scenario, but I'm wary of too
optimistic predictions, given the resources of 'verticality', though I may
give myself the same impression of optimism <g>

Michel

On Tue, Nov 10, 2009 at 2:31 AM, Kevin Carson <
free.market.anticapitalist at gmail.com> wrote:

>  On 11/9/09, Ryan Lanham <rlanham1963 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 1:55 PM, Kevin Carson
> > <free.market.anticapitalist at gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > This ignores the extent to which human societies can function in a
> > > solidaristic manner through voluntary cooperation and mutual aid,
> > > without acting through a state.
>
> > What I think tends to militate against this position, Kevin, is that most
> > people could give lots of examples of co-ops and mutualist organizations
> > de-mutualizing (insurance companies, e.g.) but very few where
> > statist/corporate bodies go mutual.  Correct me here, but I can't think
> of
> > any...
> >
> > I am always interested in A-->B in social studies.  It is always
> overlooked.
> >  People visualize end states, but can't give a convincing account of the
> > transition...and then seem to act is if that is an OK thing to ignore.
>
> The problem is that all these forms of demutualization have taken
> place within an overall state capitalist framework defined by massive
> subsidies to large corporations, and protections against market
> competition.   The result is that mutuals and cooperatives are
> swimming against the current, and in many cases are an expensive
> consumption good for greenwashed yuppies.
>
> What I referred to above was the natural tendency in a society absent
> such privilege, subsidy, and artificial scarcity, when
> self-organization was not crowded out, constrained or preempted by
> state action.
>
> I believe we're in a transition state in which the corporate state is
> reaching the limit of its resources to provide such subsidies and
> protections (thanks, among other things, to the kind of fiscal crisis
> described by James O'Connor, Michel's crisis of realization in the
> cognitive realm, and Peak Oil).  When this perfect storm of crises has
> passed, what we'll be left with is Robb's resilient communities.  In
> the transition period, I think we'll see that it's the large
> hierarchical organizations that are swimming against a hostile tide,
> and will eventually be eaten alive.
>
> --
> Kevin Carson
> Center for a Stateless Society http://c4ss.org
> Mutualist Blog:  Free Market Anti-Capitalism
> http://mutualist.blogspot.com
> Studies in Mutualist Political Economy
> http://www.mutualist.org/id47.html
> Organization Theory:  A Libertarian Perspective
> http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/studies-in-anarchist-theory-of.html
>
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