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Open-source political manifesto

Use the open-source software-writing methodology to create a body of political thought
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That's it really (see subtitle). New additions could be proposed by anybody. Where two or more competing proposals are put forward a vote would be held.
It would be interesting to see whether this method would produce any of the following:

• an internally consistent political manifesto
• something a political party could stand for office with
• something which elected politicians would have to defend themselves against
• a public forum for non-mainstream political ideas

My guess is that the only way to find out would be to try it and it could well end up with everyone saying "Well, we won't try THAT again!".
hippo, Dec 17 2002

[link]






       I like. The only flaw is that it would require people to think for themselves.
my face your, Dec 17 2002
  

       The ultimate focus group. I suspect it will attract a huge number of know-all egotists and ranting trolls, but that's certainly no worse than the current system. (+).
egbert, Dec 17 2002
  

       I'm not too sure. It really depends on each person's basic world view of economics - whether you think all people are selfish and need encouragment and bribes to distribute their wealth, or all people are generous and will distribute their wealth out of the goodness of their hearts. So I don't know where you would start from.   

       Open source software seems to have a clear goal in mind to start off with - this wouldn't other than "it would be interesting".
PeterSilly, Dec 17 2002
  

       It would be a pretty exclusive 'public forum', hippo. The vast majority of people in the world don't use the internet.
DrBob, Dec 17 2002
  

       True.
DrBob, Dec 17 2002
  

       Does the use of "open-source software-writing methodology" necessarily presuppose that the internet is the vehicle? I'll admit that it does make for a slicker system but the idea stands fine as a notion without it.
my face your, Dec 17 2002
  

       my face, I would say that yes, it does. Otherwise how are you going to publicise the project, store the documents and organise the voting?
DrBob, Dec 18 2002
  

       Whose to say voting should have any part of it? Shirley this is for the group to decide.
PeterSilly, Dec 18 2002
  

       //Where two or more competing proposals are put forward a vote would be held.//

Read the idea, you silly man!
DrBob, Dec 18 2002
  

       But that pre-supposes that democracy is any way to run a country. You're excluding anarchists or dictators from participating in this movement.
PeterSilly, Dec 18 2002
  

       Country? I don't recall countries being mentioned. You're just so narrow minded. A prisoner of conventional thought, trapped into traditional ways of thinking. ;0)
DrBob, Dec 18 2002
  

       Yeah - I re-read the anno after I wrote it (unusual, I know) and thought "movement" would have been better. Just couldn't be arsed to edit it.
PeterSilly, Dec 18 2002
  

       //documents originally created with the input of only a select few//   

       ... a *very* select few academics. Not many people are aware that Karl Marx probably never did a days labor in his life, and rarely actually talked to laborers. The authors of the US constitution, while trying to make it neutral and fair, still implicitly included the values of the time (ie. white males only).   

       I'm not trying to denigrate the idea, but would this really be immune from such factors?   

       Also, as [DrCurry] alluded to, it may very well end up - if it doesn't originate in - a very exclusive domain, even if that wasn't intended.   

       People who write open source software are (almost always) the ones who use it, whereas proprietary software is written *for other people* (ie. users needs are theoretical, not emperical - this is blindingly obvious for many Microsoft products, like their equation editor). This may be a good analogy here: if you can keep it open to people who don't really have access to our current system of representation, then it would work as ideally intended. But the catch 22 is: if you can get the input of these people for this project, wouldn't it be better to direct this input to the current system?
Detly, Mar 17 2004
  

       Who votes for higher taxes? Anyone?   

       No, ok. Well one point down, thats an achievement.   

       Now point two: Education. Vote yes for money spent on education. Its a yes.   

       Perhaps I'm being too cynical, but I don't think so.
RobertKidney, Mar 17 2004
  

       The governing body for the internet is the IETF and it works basically in the way that you suggest (rough consensus and running code is some kind motto). Unfortunately it's very difficult to get work done "through a committe" and IMHO, the projects that work the best are those that are solved by a small group and presented as a solution to everyone else. Leadership has great value, especially in areas of opinion.
troyrock, Mar 26 2004
  

       Is there one open-source software writing methodology? I thought there are lots ("nobody else cares enough to put in the work, so what I say goes" seems popular).   

       Seeing an open-ended creative process - be it software development or political thought - structured in terms of serial conflicts between two competing proposals doesn't exactly excite me, either; what about dialectics, what about new ideas that resolve apparent conflicts?   

       There are many political organizations that introduce more direct, more participatory democratic elements into their decisionmaking. They have advantages and drawbacks. The main advantage to me is the creation of a pool of comitted, non-cynical participants that understand what they're doing; the main drawback, their vulnerability to group manipulation. But, hey, I guess you can always roll back to a version you liked.   

       "Vote for the WikiParty. It's what you say it is!"
jutta, May 31 2004
  

       Wouldn't you say the Bakery fits this definition? Baked I say! go fish
Around TUIT, Aug 13 2004
  
      
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