Greetings, fellow digizens of the self-hosted world. I’ve spent considerable time pondering the relationship between Open Source and Anarchy.
As a coder and an enthusiast of decentralized systems, I often see Open Source as a haven of freedom and self-governance, a space where hierarchy dissolves into a shared ownership of ideas and creations. This brings to mind the principles of Anarchy, where power is decentralized and the collective rules.
But let’s be honest. Sometimes, Open Source feels more like a wannabe rock star, a lot of hype with a record deal that doesn’t quite hit the right notes.
It led me to wonder: Is the parallel I draw between Open Source and Anarchy a fair one, or is it a misplaced association?
If this is too far off-topic, just let me kniw and I shall remove it!
Great conversation topic. Although it might be in the wrong community.
I do feel there are shared values when it comes to many open source projects and the concepts of anarchy. As anti-capitalists, Anarchists usually believe in so form of “open source”, where resources, goods and services are freely given to participates in the project.
That being said, many open source projects are hierarchically organized. And thus not following an anarchist model. Take grapheneos for example. Open source project, great software, Lead dev was toxic af.
They recently stepped down as head of the project( almost certainty for the better.) But I wonder what the impact of him stepping down will have on the project and if a more horizontal organization stategy would have prevented the toxic situation from occuring.
**decentralization, collaboration, and the empowerment of individuals. **
Allowing anyone to inspect and modify the code promotes accountability and enables customization to meet specific needs andan anarchist society promotes decentralization and self-governance. It envisions a society without hierarchical structures of power, where individuals have the freedom to make decisions collectively and autonomously.
voluntary cooperation, mutual aid, and direct action
Both open source software and an anarchist society share a commitment to community-driven collaboration. They prioritize the idea that power and knowledge should be distributed among the people rather than concentrated in the hands of a few. Both emphasize the importance of individual autonomy and the rejection of centralized authority.
I think there’s significant overlap however
differences
While open source software operates within the existing legal frameworks and capitalist systems, an anarchist society envisions a radical transformation of those systems. Anarchism strives for a society where power is decentralized and decision-making is based on consensus, direct participation, and voluntary cooperation.
That’s not to say they don’t influence one another…
Both offer alternative approaches that aim to empower individuals and foster a more inclusive and participatory society.
