Difference between revisions of "infosocialism"

Latest revision as of 20:04, 5 October 2008

See also: public domain | nanosocialism | socialism

Infosocialism refers to the belief that information is very different from material goods in that it can be given away without the former holder losing anything. And since information can be used for the good of humanity no one should be able to claim the rights to an idea. Simply put - if someone figures out a cure for cancer, every cancer patient has the right to it.

Origin of the word[edit]

Infosocialism was originally a fictional philosophy created by David Pulver, Jon F. Zeigler and Sean Punch for the Transhuman Space role-playing game. However, it has found some real-world adherents.

Infosocialism posits that information and ideas are the primary means of production. It holds that copyright laws are immoral and that intellectual property rights should not exist, or eventually, should be owned by one entity, usually a government, a private organisation (such as the Free Software Foundation).

External links[edit]

• Thread on SJ Games (makers of Transhuman Space) discussion board - mentions this entry, but also includes comments from one of the makers of the concept.
• Fan-created logo.
• Thread at revolutionaryleft.com - poster asks if "anyone here takes the ideas of infosocialism seriously" - generally gets a positive response.