[Cc-uk] Microcosmographia licentia
David Berry
d.berry at sussex.ac.uk
Mon Oct 2 10:19:21 EDT 2006
Microcosmographia licentia: A talking shop of (mostly) non-lawyers
discussing the number of DRM-angels sitting on invariant-pins all of
whose deliberations are pre-framed within a particular 'objective'
conception of law that they claim to dislike (copyright/patent/DRM),
but which through the drafting process becomes increasingly reliant
upon as a legal support for the very licences they endlessly discuss.
Heavily influenced by libertarian conceptions of the state or
government in which politics can be 'circumvented' by the
individualistic use of technical hacks and clever tweaks instantiated
through copyright licences (known as copyleft). Particularly known
for its theological belief in the redeeming power of the Trinity of
Richard M. Stallman, Eben Moglen, and Lawrence Lessig and the
eschatological promise of a utopian GNU land of milk and honey where
information is free. With its own version of Judas Iscariot (Eric S.
Raymond), the Anti-Christ (Bill Gates/Microsoft) and the Devil (the
RIAA), it rallies its members to fight the 'closing' down of human
freedom through the use of online mailing lists, wiki, blogs and
social-networking software. Discussions in microcosmographia licentia
are bought to a swift close whenever anyone mentions belling the cat.
The underlying principles are all deducible from the fundamental
maxim, that the first necessity for a body of people engaged in the
pursuit of free culture is the freedom from the burden of political
cares. It is impossible to enjoy the contemplation of free culture if
one is vexed and distracted by the sense of responsibility. The
microcosmographia licentia is also superior to liberal democracy in
having no organised parties. Thus avoiding all the responsibilities
of party leadership (there are leaders, but no one follows them), and
the degradations of party compromise. It is clear, moreover, that
twenty independent persons, each of whom has a different reason for
not doing a certain thing, and no one of whom will compromise with
any other, constitute a most effective check upon the rashness of
individuals. See also Free Culture and Creative Commons.
;-)
(with apologies to F.M. Cornford)
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