Thank you,Eva, for another shaft of sunlight piercing the fog Colin Stark At 12:14 AM 3/9/98 GMT, Durant wrote: >I just pick one of the many fuzzyness and what gives >the impression of a tedious pseudo-scientific bla-bla. > >> Private property is inextricably part of our commons because it >> is part of our life support and social systems. Owners affect us >> all when they alter the emergent properties of our life support >> and social systems (alter their land) to "make a profit" -- cover >> land with corn or with concrete. >> > >The longest period of human sapiens still the >period when private property did not exist (50k+ years) >All this time they were having ever growing populations >eventually all over the globe. > >If you say social laws are like physical laws, than if you are >consistant, if humans may use the knowledge of the first >to manipulate the physical reality, why shouldn't they >be able to do the same with social reality? > >It seems obscene to seek out this catastrophic vision >and sit back saying this is our fate. You totally ignore >the ability to plan and to cooperate. >There is no "innate capitalism", however ignorant >you make me out, it couldn't have "evolved" >in a few hundred years. > >People already made some effort to overthrow >capitalism, after a much shorter rule, than feudalism. >Given the right initial conditions it could have >already worked. >The more consciously is done, the more chance for >a genuin - not bourgois - democracy to emerge. > >I cannot see the point of your dark fatalism, except a good reason to >call everybody else stupid, and have a good excuse to sit >back and do buggerall in comfort.. > >Eva > > > > > > > > > > >> Neighborhoods, cities and states are commons in the sense that >> no one is denied entry. Anyone may enter and lay claim to the >> common resources. One can compare profits to Hardin's "grass" >> when any corporation -- from anywhere in the world -- can drive >> down profits by competing with local businesses for customers. >> >> One can see wages as "grass" when any number of workers -- from >> anywhere in the world -- can enter our community and drive down >> wages by competing with local workers for jobs. Everywhere >> one looks, one sees the Tragedy of the Commons. There is no >> technological solution, but governments can act to limit access >> to the commons, at which time they are no longer commons. >> >> In the private-money-based political system we have in America, >> everything (including people) becomes the commons because money >> is political power, and all political decisions are reduced to >> economic ones. In other words, we have no true political system, >> only an economic system -- everything is for sale. Thus, America >> is one large commons that will be exploited until it is >> destroyed. >> >> [ This is from my latest newsletter. For more -- including >> references -- see www.dieoff.org ] >> >> Jay >> >> >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >
