http://p2pfoundation.net/Buddhism_and_Peer_to_Peer ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Nicolás Mendoza <[email protected]> Date: 2011/9/24 Subject: Re: Exchanges Africa-Asia-Europe in a perspective of common wellbeing To: Darwis KHUDORI <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected], [email protected] Dear Darwis, Thank you for your reply. The following is the full abstract of my Masters thesis: Awakening from Capitalism An exploration of merit economy as an alternative to a system of crisis Globally, capitalism disarrays communities and the environment through its logic of growth and production of desire. Its empire expands within the individual through ontological imperialism of time and mind, a modality that is made potent by the widespread of ICTs like the Internet. On the other hand, by enabling the development of a 'third mode' of production known as peer production or P2P, ICT shows emancipatory potential. P2P production relies on the collaboration of equipotential participants and therefore understanding generosity can be key in consolidating its long term success. Because they are based on equally materialistic ontology, communism and Marxist thought in general are an alternative to capitalism only superficially. Thus we propose to study the Buddhist arrangement as a more legitimate alternative insomuch as it is rooted in non-materialism that assigns no less reality to mind than to matter. Therefore, this thesis searches for the foundations of alternatives for the future at the intersection of Buddhist sociology and New Media theory. ANT analysis of a project led by monks in Sri Lanka consisting of saving cows from death in the slaughterhouse results in the concept of merit economy, a social agreement that fosters well-being through collective generosity. Guidelines for the translation of merit economy into ICT mediated communities are proposed.