I’d like to build upon my brief post about Yochai Benkler and Helen Nisselbaum’s 2006 article in the Journal of Political Philosophy entitled Commons Based Peer Production and Virtue. where they lay out an argument for how commons based peer production leads to virtuous behavior. They lay out four ways in which individual virtue is enhanced by engaging in collaborative peer work online.
The first is increased self-autonomy and individuation. They cite Charles Taylor’s notion of liberation as virtue brought about by being part on an on-line collaborative community. Such people are:
directing their own lives, … deciding for themselves the conditions of their own existence, as against falling prey to the domination of others, and to impersonal, natural, or social mechanisms which they fail to understand, and therefore cannot control or transform.
Second, they claim peer production enhances the ability of people to engage in productive and creative work. They use Alasdair McIntyre’s notion of practice:
socially established human activity through which goods internal to that form of activity are realized in the course of trying to achieve those standards of excellence which are appropriate to, and partially derivative of, that form of activity, with the result that human powers to achieve excellence, and human conceptions of the ends and goods involved, are systematically extended.
Third, they claim altruism as a virtue enhanced by peer-production:
In helping others, in small ways such as donating spare cycles, or larger ways such as creating carefully researched encyclopedia entries without receiving conventional, tangible payments or favors in return, peers exercise kindness, benevolence, charity and generosity.
Finally, they argue that peer production develops habits of civic participation. They liken on-line peer production to “barn raising”
In a similar way, participants in a commons-based peer effort cooperate, build upon the work of others, contribute time, effort and expertise to create and enhance a public good.
Are Benkler and Nisselbaum being too pollyanna about commons based peer production? (That’s the easy argument). Or are they on to something? Have at it!
Comments 1
classicallyliberaljd — February 3, 2009
People like praise; that's why Wiki adds little ribbons and buttons to the users who contribute a lot. I guess it's understandable how something like wiki could come about. People are usually willing to talk about a little bit of information they are particularly knowledgeable about for no monetary compensation, so they go ahead and add a wiki page. Since the internet allows a huge amount of people access the same place, those little bits of knowledge add up and create what Wikipedia is. Throw in about 1400 neurotic editors who REALLY like praise and are willing to proofread new updates and there you have it.
You can't live on praise, and I seriously doubt we'll reach a utopia where the commons run everything; collectivism more often than not fails. More than anything, Wikipedia is just shining a magnifying glass on the glimmers of generosity people occasionally have.