What's Going On?

Why don’t our economic and political systems clearly reflect our common values?

What are the Commons, what is P2P?

What happens after “The End of History"?

Are all P2P initiatives created equal?

What is a Commons Transition and can we achieve it or is it utopian?

Part 1: The P2P/Commons Movement

● The Commons are a resource, the community built around it and the systems sustaining both

The Commons are a resource, the community built around it and the systems that sustain both

Peer to Peer (P2P) is a relational dynamic, not a technological term

P2P and the Commons are interdependent

Part 2: Capitalism vs Normality

Growth is disastrous for the planet and obfuscates the issue of redistribution

Cognitive Capitalism: immaterial abstract value protected through the use of patents and IP

The scarcity vs abundance confusion

Neoliberalism is losing all its emotional and intellectual credibility

P2P Value Systems

Centralised

Community OrientedProfit oriented

Global

Distributed

Glocal

Part 3: The P2P Jungle

P2P systems are growing exponentially but they have different architectures based on underlying value systems

Netarchical Capitalism has a for-profit, centralised, global orientation

The “Sharing Economy” mutualises physical goods but centralises the platform and profits

Distributed Capitalism has a for-profit, de-centralised, global orientation

Part 4: The Open Source Circular Economy

P2P systems are only revolutionary when not driven by shareholder profit

Local initiatives should have a global outlook to effect systemic change

A globally oriented, for benefit, distributed economy deals with local material realities and global needs

P2P economics and P2P politics are interdependent. They prioritise the real needs of people and planet

Part 5: A Commons Transition

Scaling up of P2P dynamics in all life spheres would represent a 3rd way for social and economic relations

A Commons Transition extrapolates existing initiatives and projects them as a viable systemic direction

A new hegemony won't be articulated from a set of blueprints, but we can increase the likelihood of its emergence

Visit us at CommonsTransition.org