[ox-en] A brief introduction of the "germ form theory"
- From: Stefan Meretz <stefan.meretz hbv.org>
- Date: Sun, 20 Nov 2005 22:09:00 +0100
From http://en.wiki.oekonux.org/StefanMeretz/GermformTheory
== A brief introduction of the "germ form theory" ==
I would not call the ideas around the term "germ form" a "theory",
however, others do. There are two origins of the term "germ form":
one in german critical psychology founded bei Klaus Holzkamp
(1927-1995, in german:
[http://www.kritische-psychologie.de/holzkamp.html]); another one in
an article by Robert Kurz
([http://www.exit-online.org/html/link.php?tab=autoren&kat=Robert+Kurz&ktext=Antioekonomie+und+Antipolitik
Antioekonomie and Antipolitik]).
While Holzkamp in his work did not use the term "germ form"
explicitly, he developed the principles of developments in a very
general sense. Kurz on the other hand used "germ form" explicitly by
arguing that no one can imagine a societal jump out of capitalism
without having pre-forms of new types of societal organisation.
Because of being used so widely in different theories he doesn't
like, later on he emphasized some distance to his own theory,
especially to the term "germ form".
=== Five steps to a new society ===
Holzkamp generalized his "five step model of development" from
analyzes of qualitative steps of evolution - from single cells to
human society. One five step cycle consist in:
1. emergence of the germ form of development
2. crisis of the old form of development
3. germ form becomes an important dimension inside the old form of
development
4. germ form becomes the dominant form of development
5. reconstruction of the entire development process
Now step by step (this part is translated from
[http://www.opensourcejahrbuch.de/2005/wiki/FreieSoftwareUndFreieGesellschaft
open source year book 2005]).
==== 1. emergence of the germ form of development ====
Everything what currently is self-evident and ubiquitous, was once
something new and completely not self-evident. Over many steps the
new has finally prevailed. This new which later on will be the old is
called germ form. Germ forms can ''emerge'' in niches and special
areas. They live from the old, but exhibit forms of the new.
==== 2. crisis of the old form of development ====
Germ forms only become relevant when the old gets into a ''crisis''.
This can happen mainly due to two reasons: Firstly the outside
conditions can change so dramatically or so fast, that the old
principle can not react adequately. Secondly the old can run out, if
all potences of further development are exhausted. Stagnation is one
type of reaction, collapse another.
==== 3. germ form becomes an important dimension inside the old form
of development ====
Under the condition of the old the germ form can leave niches and
expand quantitatively. It becomes an ''important dimension of
development'' inside the old still dominant form. This establishment
of the germ form can have two directions: It can lead to an
integration into the old overtaking the old principles, or the germ
form asserts itself better and better based on its own principles
into and beside the old. In the first case the germ form character
gets lost, in the second case the new gets strenghened. In both cases
the old can profit from an integrated or a strenghened germ form and
attenuates its own crisis phenomena.
==== 4. germ form becomes the dominant form of development ====
The former subsidiary germ form becomes the ''dominant form of
development''. The new previals because it is better in respect to
the important dimensions of the entire development process. The germ
form character of the new comes to an end. Now its principles are
determinative and displace the overcome and non-functional principles
of the old, even step by step or abruptly. The new becomes the
self-evident ubiquitous.
==== 5. reconstruction of the entire development process ====
Finally all aspects of the entire development process ''re-structure''
with respect to the dominant self-evident new principle of
development. Especially this concerns such processes, which are not
determinative but derivative. With this step potentially the first
step of a new five step cycle is reached: germ forms can emerge, the
old gets into crisis and so on.
All phases can take longer or shorter time spans, and at every time
there can be backstrokes. Nothing is given or predetermined. The
five step cycle can only be realized completely, when it has taken
place, and only with hindsight the former germ form can be identified
certainly. Being within the development process the five step model
can help to sharpen the senses, to gain a better action potence. Now,
the controversial thesis in the oekonux project is: With free
software we have a germ form of a new society.
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