[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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