The Commons and P2P Transition

This September in The Portal we will be hosting P2P theorist Michel Bauwens for a month dedicated to “The Commons and P2P Civilisational Transition”. You can find all information about this course, including a description, teacher bio, schedule, as well as a pre-course conversation.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: "The Commons: P2P and Civilisational Transition” is a month-long seminar series offered by Michel Bauwens in collaboration with Philosophy Portal. The pre-course will guide you through readings of macro-historical works related to world-systems analysis and big history (systems-theory, complexity science insights into common patterns in the evolution of matter, life and culture). The main course will (1) offer reviews of the basic concepts of macro-historians since the publication of The Decline of the West from Oswald Spengler, relying on operative concepts such as ‘instruments of expansion’, ‘challenge and response’; ‘ideate vs sensate’ civilizational models; (2) present a hypothesis that there is a counter-cyclical ‘pulsation of the commons’, which affects societal and civilizational cycles, bringing us to the question of what happens to the commons in a planetarizing system, and especially: what happens to the revival of commoning when such a planetary system is in a phase of relative decline; (3) introduce the basic concepts on the p2p theory approach, and the history of research at the P2P Foundation, and guide students through the use of the wiki of the P2P Foundation; (4) and finally present a number of scenarios based on the operative concepts developed by the P2P Foundation, including our own four-fold scenario, on the future deployment of the commons in the context of an evolving meta-crisis.

TEACHER: Michel Bauwens is a Belgian theorist in the emerging field of peer-to-peer (P2P), a writer, and a conference speaker on the subject of technology, culture and business innovation. Bauwens founded the P2P Foundation, a global organization of researchers working in open collaboration in the exploration of peer production, governance, and property. He has authored a number of essays, including his thesis The Political Economy of Peer Production. Bauwens regularly lectures internationally on P2P theory, the commons and their potential for social change. Bauwens was research director with the FLOK Society (Free Libre Open Knowledge) at the National Institute of Advanced Studies of Ecuador (IAEN), and has helped municipalities in Europe and South America engage in integrated Commons Transition Plans. Bauwens has written for Open Democracy and Al Jazeera, and has been mentioned by the New York Times, De Morgen, and Living Green Magazine.

SESSION 1: Basic concepts from the Macrohistorians — Three Major Waves of Macrohistorians

In this session, we will review the basic concepts of macro-historians since the publication of The Decline of the West from Oswald Spengler. We will distinguish three major waves of macro-history:

We will focus on operative concepts such as ‘instruments of expansion’ (Quigley), ‘challenge and response’ (Toynbee); ‘ideate vs sensate’ civilizational models (Sorokin), etc.

SESSION 2: The Pulsation of the Commons — The Commons in a Planetarising System

In this session, we will present a hypothesis that there is a counter-cyclical ‘pulsation of the commons’, which affects societal and civilizational cycles. In short, in the ascending civilizational cycles in which market and state institutions perform relatively well for core populations of a system, commons practices and institutions tend to weaken, while in descending cycles, they tend to revive, playing remarkable functions in the dark ages that intermittently occur between civilizational cycles. We will give examples from medieval Japan and post-Roman Europe.

The key question that will be addressed is: what happens to the commons in a planetarizing system, and especially: what happens to the revival of commoning when such a planetary system is in a phase of relative decline.

SESSION 3: P2P Theory Approach and the Commons — Basic Concepts of P2P Theory Approach

This session will introduce the basic concepts on the p2p theory approach, and the history of research at the P2P Foundation. After introducing the key concepts of P2P Theory and guide students through the use of the wiki of the P2P Foundation, we will review the research undertaken by affiliated researchers, as published in P2P Foundation reports:

SESSION 4: The Next System, What Can We Know? — Scenarios Based on the Operative Concepts

In this session, based on the material reviewed in the 3 first sessions, we will present a number of scenarios based on the operative concepts developed by the P2P Foundation. After a review of various cycles documented in the macro-historical literature, we will review concepts such as:

We will present various scenarios, including our own four-fold scenario, on the future deployment of the commons in the context of an evolving meta-crisis.

We will ask students to evaluate such scenarios and eventually suggest their own, as well as inquire into strategies for social change in that context.

SCHEDULE:

(All Times: 830pm CET (Central European Time))

Sunday September 7th / Session 1: Basic Concepts from the Macrohistorians

Sunday September 14th / Session 2: The Pulsation of the Commons

Sunday September 21st / Session 3: P2P Theory Approach and the Commons

Monday September 29th / Session 4: The Next System, What Can We Know?

I hosted a discussion with Michel Bauwens in order to prepare for the month. You can find that video below:

To get involved in the course, see: