Free Software and its relation to organic networks of people

Notice something here...

First, humans banded together and later on formed tribal communities.

Secondly, tribes banded together and formed nation states.

Now, it looks like nation states are giving way to a global non-hierarchical state, though.

Anyway, it is simply amazing how technologies influence the way how humans build social structures.

...while "freedom movements" strive to destroy power structures, at the same time they require some elements of these power structures in order to thrive. Without governments, we will probably be worrying more about protecting our own lives, than with organizing mass protests over some global network.

I expect this paradoxical situation to persist for some time to come...

The difference between civilisation and barbarism is largely the difference between laws and "every one for themself".

Individuals form families, that is pretty much mandatory since offspring are quite helpless. Families will eventually find out that a clan or a tribe will make life even easier and so on. At every point you have to refine the rules to match a larger body.

(I'll just avoid the gun control thread once more at this point.)

And to get back to advogato:
I'd also like to believe that like blackmail and battery became illegal at some point in history, (trade) secrets and lies will become at some point. They just hinder progress way too much when people have to keep banging their heads together again and again.
Rule them out, consider development research and fund it accordingly and get profit from the actual work (delivery).

I suppose one can hope even though people often make the future look very dark.