Democracy

If you're looking for the perfect way to organize an open source project, you're not alone. The search has been on for thousands of years.

Watch the video version on YouTube

This episode is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Created by: Mathias Bolt Lesniak
Creative advisor: Jeffrey A. “jam” McGuire

Transcript

0:00

Welcome to the Open Source Utopia Podcast, episode five. Today's topic is democracy,

but also a related term: 0:10

Utopia. Let's look at utopia. The term “utopia“ was coined in the 1500s, but it has been a topic for philosophers …… since time immemorial. The perfect way to organize and run society. Impossible to attain, but forever sought. You know what I'm talking about. For thousands of years …… philosophers have said the best …… mode of government would be …… “the wise man's rule.” A benevolent dictator that makes …… all the decisions for us. Open source projects usually start out this way. The project founder sets the course …… and makes all the major decisions. However, we all know there is no perfect wise man. It's better to spread the load …… and collaborate on the decision making. In comes democracy, utopia's realistic cousin. For an open source project to work, the community has to play a central role …… in the decision-making processes. Decisions should represent a common understanding. It doesn't have to be a deep conviction …… for everyone. It's enough if people think …… it brings the project forward, towards the common goal. Sometimes, it might mean doing something …… that doesn't bring you forward, but that is important for someone else. Being able to do that …… is the core of a working democracy. Open source can be an important tool …… for developing democracy skills. Exciting! More about that in the next episode.