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Stefan Merten * "What did the Romans bring us after all..." - About the use of OrganizationDominationAnarchism (was: [ox-en] Conference documentation / Konferenzdokumentation)



"What did the Romans bring us after all..."
===========================================

About the use of OrganizationDominationAnarchism
------------------------------------------------

Stefan Merten [smerten at oekonux.de]

Introduction
============

Organization - Domination - Anarchism
-------------------------------------

Title of the talk expresses the ambivalence nicely

Cited by John Cleese in "Life of Brian"

o    Problem: Working ODA is not felt

     o    Instead is taken as given

          Embedded in a community culture

     o    Thus difficult to talk about it

     o    We all know this, however

o    Excitement normally about failing ODA

o    So: How does working ODA function?

o    Necessary: Exact and differentiated look

Organization
------------

Suggested on (German) Oekonux list

o    Important element of the ODA concept

o    Regulation of processes

     o    I.e.: Rules

     o    On individual basis: Taking responsibility

          Responsibility can not be assigned

o    Organization is useful

     Who would deny that?

     o    Helps to accomplish goals

o    Euphemism for ODA

     Organization contains domination

Rules and domination
====================

Rules and freedom
-----------------

o    Give wanted types of behavior

     o    By this exclude unwanted types of behavior

     o    By this limit freedom

o    Structure processes

     o    By this they create freedom

          To have this process at all

          To reach the wanted goals

o    Rules are ambiguous regarding freedom

Reasons and enforcement
-----------------------

o    Reasons are decisive

     o    Finding reasons is a social process

     o    Makes rules understandable

     o    Opens rules for discussion

          By this they are not sacrosanct (Free Cooperation) but
          changeable

          By this they are not transcendent (Empire) but immanent

o    If necessary rules need to be enforced

     Otherwise they are useless

     o    Enforcement is a sign for a failure of the process

     o    Enforcement internal to a group is particularly ambiguous

          Sometimes rules are enforced against those for whose
          expansion of freedom the rules have been created in the
          first place

     o    Enforcement also means using force

o    No use of force without reasons

Domination in the common understanding
--------------------------------------

o    Often: domination == repression

          That is one of the reasons for the term ODA

     o    Then we don't need the notion of domination

     o    Thus it must be distinguished from repression

     o    Suggestion: repression exists where there is alienation

          If the goals of use of force are alienated from the
          community

o    Domination contains the use of force

o    Emancipatory acting must not neglect this

     Unfortunately this happens often

     Understandable because we want to minimize use of force

Sources of domination
---------------------

o    Source of domination: structures

     o    Evoke rules

          Rules are made by humans of course

          But are not independent of structures

     o    Rules crystallize to structures

          Then the reasons quickly get lost

          Especially for those who came later

o    Source of domination: persons

     o    Create rules

     o    Act according to rules

     o    Enforce rules

          Code is law

          But code is created by humans

o    Relation between structures and persons

     It stays difficult...

Anarchism and maintainership
============================

Social processes and alienation
-------------------------------

Please don't confuse anarchism with chaos!

Kant: Anarchism is order without domination

Me: Anarchism is working ODA

o    ODA is a social process

     o    Finding and adapting rules

o    Alienation

     o    Is the killer for ODA processes

     o    Minimized by well-suited processes

     o    Self-organization == no alienation

o    Anarchist models seem to fit

Orientation on consensus
------------------------

o    Reasons are decisive

     o    Make rethinking of rules possible

     o    Make insights in the usefulness of rules possible

o    Orientation on consensus

     o    Resolves conflicts in an optimal way

          Gives much power to the participants

          Requires a responsible mind set from the participants

     o    Helps thinking reasons through

     o    Fosters insight by participation

o    Social process is optimized this way

Maintainership
--------------

o    Known from Free Software

     I.e.: Without ideological burden

o    In other places often exists in practice

     This is criticized often

     But this is an idealist position

     Better: Include reality in theory creation

o    Useful for otherwise irresolvable problems

     o    By time pressure

          Time pressure is alienation from a sense making process

     o    When a fork would make sense

          Alienation from the project

Maintainership in practice
--------------------------

o    Maintainership is modified consensus principle

     o    Free Projects have little means of force they can use

          Nobody can be forced to stay

     o    Everyone is there voluntarily

     o    Orientation on consensus is the only chance

o    Maintainership needs

     o    Know-how

          Not everybody does this equally well

          Can be learnt

     o    Transparency

          Only by this alienation can be prevented

          Only by this reasons for actions are understandable

     o    Self-determination

          Task is usually chosen by someone on his own

          Part of Selbstentfaltung

          A democratic election already lays the foundation for
          alienation because winning the election is alienated from
          maintainer action

o    Maintainership is the pragmatic variant of anarchism

Conclusion
==========

o    Organization is useful

     Expands freedom

o    Organization contains rules

o    Rules need

     o    reasons

          prevents alienation

     o    realization

          May also mean the use of force

o    Processes oriented in consensus are optimal

     Create optimal rules

     Prevent alienation

     Use of force is minimized

o    Maintainership is the living example

o    Free Software is a nice text book example


_________________________________
Web-Site: http://www.oekonux.org/
Organization: http://www.oekonux.de/projekt/
Contact: projekt oekonux.de



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