Jean Lievens's Blog (10)

I think most Marxists have so far underestimated the impact of the Internet, new technologies, open source, peer-to-peer etc. on society. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, one can always argue that ‘there is nothing new under the sun”. Capitalism has always revolutionised the means of production in order to beat the competition. So why should it this time be different? I think there are many reasons. One is that the capitalist system must grow to survive and…

In this powerful interview published on June 2 2012 on YouTube, Michel Bauwens explains in an nutshell his main ideas on P2P, its impact on society and the opportunity it offers to create a sustainable world.

 …

On May 3, Jonathan Clyne, Lena Hanno, Alex Dirmeier and Jean Lievens had a discussion with Michel Bauwens on peer-to-peer and Marxism.  The discussion took place in the lobby of the Palace Hotel in Berlin. Here’s a slightly edited transcript of the discussion. The recording was reasonably good, but our voices were sometimes unintelligible because there were other guests talking in the lobby and there was also a piano playing (from the theme song from Titanic to What a Wonderful World,…

The Internet as a “new” medium is not an extension or an extra platform of the traditional media; it is qualitatively different because it turns the passive media consumer (the couch potato) into an active contributor. People not only like to consume, they also like to contribute and share. The Internet makes this possible. Therefore, we are dealing with a completely new ball game, making former Marxists analyses and demands in relation to this subject quite obsolete.

Parts of these…

I took the liberty to translate an interview with Michel Bauwens, by Anne-Sophie Novel (published first in French on Greensiders).  

"Peer-to-peer", often abbreviated P2P, allows for example to exchange music files or movies on the Internet. Napster, eDonkey, eMule, Kazaa or more recently Spotify ... P2P systems are prominent examples of P2P.…

Last month I was in London where I  attended a lecture by Michel Bauwens on peer-to-peer dynamics. I wrote an article in Dutch for ‘De Wereld Morgen’. Fortunaletly, there is a edited version of the lecture on vimeo.…

Manifesto for a socialist alternative - Introduction

The following text is a rough draft of the first chapter of a manifesto to be discussed in the labour movement. Feedback, criticism, suggestions… are more than welcome  

The ongoing financial crisis since 2007 and the Great Recession stroke a big blow to the legitimacy of capitalism. The system has lost its self-evidence amongst a growing layer of the population, resulting in the worldwide ‘Occupy Movement’,…

Envisioning Real Utopias - Erik Olin Wright

“Hugely rich and stimulating, Envisioning Real Utopias is many books in one: an incisive normative diagnoses of the harms done by capitalism; a masterful synthesis of the best work in political sociology and political economy over the past thirty years; an innovative theoretical framework for conceptualizing both the goals of progressive change and the strategies for their achievement; an inspiring survey of actually existing…

Here’s a quit extensive synthesis of  “The Penguin and the Leviathan,” in my opinion a wonderful book for anyone who is interested in improving and transforming our economic and political institutions.

Human motivation is a subject that ‘makes me tick’. I really enjoyed reading “The Penguin and the Leviathan”, not only because it paints a much nicer picture of “human nature” than the one used by the free marketeers, but also because it gives a glimpse of a future, higher form…

The traditional left finds itself in a blind alley. It is quit incredible that just two years after the devastating financial crisis demonstrating the obvious bankruptcy of neoliberalism, the defenders of the “free” market and deregulation are already back in business. In the United States, the very same who caused the crisis and run to the state for their rescue, are now blaming the Democrats of causing huge deficits and demanding cuts in living standards of civil servants and the working…