[P2P-F] Falling transaction costs

Sun Oct 23 23:04:24 CEST 2011

On Saturday, October 22, 2011 09:30:46 pm Patrick Anderson wrote:
> Karl Robillard wrote:
> > Why would anyone want to "micro-own" parts of something
> > when they could get access to the whole for free?
> 
> All production has costs.
> 
> If we could make things available without any work
> and without any side-effects, then we would have
> solved this problem long ago, but as it is, we need
> to find a way to cover those costs so we are not
> begging the current owners to "do the right thing".
> 
> Ownership, tempered by a legally-binding social
> contract, can be used by us to organize production
> for our own, mutual benefit.
> 
> Sincerely,
> Patrick Anderson
> http://SocialSufficiencyCoalition.BlogSpot.com

Patrick,

What I mean by free access is access to the means of production, not taking 
the outputs without regard to inputs.  That is, allowing people to adjust and 
optimize how the inputs are used and power to determine what the outputs are.  
I want to see systems which allow people to *do* work (on more personal terms 
and without having to reproduce existing infrastructure because it is 
"owned"), not avoid it.

Matt thinks that lowering the financial barriers to co-op entry is a good 
thing.  My question is: Why does there need to be any financial barrier at all?  
How do you get lower than zero?  Work is what peer production is all about.  
The barrier to entry for any P2P co-operative should simply be the willingness 
and ability to help with the project, not having to buy-in to gain an 
ownership stake.

-Karl