Stimulating critique of pure p2p strategies by Larry Victor:
(I”m not sure yet as to what Larry means with the necessity for uplift)
“The flow of information heralding the rise of entrepreneurial and P2P ventures is increasing. I take no issue about persons using this route for survival or for providing services for immediate needs. But, the unquestioned assumption that this is a bottom-up process eventually leading to a just and sustainable global humankind may be dangerously naive. IMO it is activity that will remain at the bottom. Bottom-up requires UPLIFT.
Even not-for-profit ventures must integrate with established business and financial systems to survive. Their label in reference to profit implies this. This embedment is highly constraining. Just to keep up with ever changing environments and survive competition new ventures become more and more dependent on established systems, even when they claim to be creating a new “peer” economy. And, they cannot move to become an effective alternative economy without bringing the BuzzSaw down on them . Most P2P entrepreneurs are not aware of (nor can’t accept) the deep nature of establishments’ excessive power and narrow vision. Although they may be critical of establishments, it is usually from a liberal/progressive perspective that assumes established systems can be changed from within. I believe a strong case could be made that anticipated reform is virtually impossible. Even revolutions end up simply replacing one oppressive system by another.
The bottom-up/top-down metaphor implies a single system that evolves, using pseudo Darwinian processes. “Revolutionaries” like to think of themselves as opposing THE system, while they both are deeply entwined in a larger system. Societal metamorphosis involves one new system literally replacing an older system.
Yet, as I learn of the great abundance of innovative ventures, I envision how each is highly relevant to UPLIFT and a move towards replacing (not reforming) established orders.
Two activities appear to be universally taboo today:
1) Exploring scenarios where various P2P ventures will synergize/organize into a force to successfully confront established orders rapidly re-configuring into high security “states” ready to suppress all opposition. NEED: Use all historical and current data, even when conflicting. Avoid ideological assumptions about “reality”.
2) Exploring scenarios alternative to (1) involving uplift and variations on the societal metamorphosis theme. NEED: Consider both immediate gains as well as long term success. “
UPLIFT is the current name I give to my 4-decades-in-development model for a local2global “metamorphic replacement strategy”. Looking back from alternative, successful “endgames” (e.g., the eventual replacement of a future corporatist state by a nu, emergent Humanity based on P2P), what projects need to be started now to later insure a successful replacement?
UPLIFT is a strategy that knocks the concept of human resource development up a few notches. In my assessment a successful replacement by a viable nu Humanity requires a global human population with a distribution of competencies (cognitive, performance & affective) radically different from today’s distribution (if we knew it). There are many rationales for this which can be cited elsewhere.
IMO known educational policies & practices, at their best and trended are inadequate to the task of uplifting. However, the collective (but not yet collected) knowledge of humans suggests we may quickly achieve uplift. My label for this is “Organizing-for-Learning=&=Learning-for-Organizing” (with a bow to Donald N. Michael). This implies a shift from an econo-centric society to an edu-centric society, where the economic subsystem will fit the whole and not dominate it as today. Such a shift will emphasize diversity and not standardization.
Trending robotic technology renders conventional employment obsolete. This frees humans to focus on the tasks of social/cultural creation. Does P2P emergence require external funding and entrepreneurs linked to the existing economy? I witnessed this shift to an entrepreneurial focus in the demise of the Electronic Networkers Association at its national convention in Philadelphia in 1988. Time to shift back? I am not adequately knowledgeable of details of the P2P Foundation and none of my statements are directed at them.
How NECESSARY uplift will be cannot be known with certainty. I speculate that appropriate simulations of alternative endgames may demonstrate a very low probability for transforming the existing system (Civilization) into a viable Humanity. Yet, the choice between transformation or metamorphic emergence need not be made today. A case can be made that an uplift strategy is requisite for both scenarios.
Just wanted to point out a few key comments were left out from the original source:
-From my limited exploration of both, I conclude that (2) is much more probable than (1), and much more enjoyable.
-Both explorations must go on concurrently in strategy, but active teams are expected to concentrate on one or the other; but not exclusively.
-(1)=STICK : (2)=CARROT
I just found out about P2P recently, doing a lot of reading to catch up. Great job on the website and thank you for doing such important work.