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Peer to peer and the feudal transition | 19 comments (19 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)
Re: gift-based society (none / 0)
"One-way feel," yes, but wouldn't that be the point: to give without expectation of reciprocity and direct benefit.  That could be scary because you could give and give and then when you are in need, you would have to beg for help, which you might not receive, especially if you are not part of the in crowd, or one of the important families or for any other reason find yourself out of favor with your neighbors.

Gift-based society is an idea that sounds nice at first, but then seems unrealistic and impractical.  I guess we've designated the government to be the safety-net of last resort (used to be the church?).  Under the new feudalism, what happens to the government social programs and safety net?

by jjellin on Sat Mar 1st, 2008 at 04:57:09 PM EST
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Re: gift-based society (4.00 / 3)
Under the new feudalism, what happens to the government social programs and safetynet?

great question...

i assume the return to default: family-

considering how nuclear families have become. compared to a century ago, atomized even, this may not work. church has mostly gone too.

so it's the 'poorhouse' concept, or 'work-camps', unless we develop a lot more empathy as a species.

each new generation born and allowed to learn its history is another nail in the authoritarian mindset's coffin, every soundly educated child  a new individual better immunised against the man=thug pathology that is providing false refuge for many lost sheep, as does jihad.

these diseases need absence of compassion to take root, and are very difficult to modify once established.

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Sat Mar 1st, 2008 at 05:54:08 PM EST
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Peer to peer and the feudal transition | 19 comments (19 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)
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