via iCommons.org:
'The Philosophy of the Commons' panel at the Summit
May 29th, 2007 by Tom Chance
I've {Tom Chance has} organised a session at the annual iCommons Summit, this year being held in the lovely Dubrovnik, Croatia. The panel and audience will debate the philosophy of the commons; here's the blurb: "What do we mean by 'free culture'? Is it just a reaction against copyright, or a broader positive movement for the arts? Should we take our inspiration from the free software movement, and if not what philosophical and tactical differences should we account for? Debate over the Creative Commons non-commercial licenses, and the diversity of approaches on show at the iSummit, suggest we have plenty of disagreements to resolve or reinforce!"
With the session I hope to stimulate some critical thinking about the commons, and some reflection on what we are working to build, promote or attack.The argument I will present is based upon my MA Philosophy dissertation and a few years of "in the trenches" work with free culture projects like Remix Reading and Free Culture UK. It's also something I'm currently working into a book, which I'll finish if I can find a publisher interested in it. My main aim is to sound a note of caution for those working on definitions like Freedom Defined and the Open Knowledge Foundation.
