Think Like a Commoner: A Short Introduction to the Life of the Commons

By David Bollier

Book Overview

A new world based on fairness, participation, accountability is closer than you thinkif you learn to think like a commoner

The biggest "tragedy of the commons" is the misconception that commons are failures-relics from another era rendered unnecessary by the Market and State. Think Like a Commoner dispels such prejudices by explaining the rich history and promising future of the commons-an ageless paradigm of cooperation and fairness that is re-making our world.

With graceful prose and dozens of fascinating stories, Bollier describes the quiet revolution that is pioneering practical forms of self-governance and production controlled by people themselves. Think Like a Commoner explains how the commons:

Is an exploding field of DIY innovation ranging from Wikipedia and seed-sharing to community forests and collaborative consumption, and beyond Challenges the standard narrative of market economics by explaining how cooperation generates significant value and human fulfillment Provides a framework of law and social action that can help us move beyond the pathologies of neoliberal capitalism.

We have a choice: Ignore the commons and suffer the ongoing private plunder of our common wealth. Or Think Like a Commoner and learn how to rebuild our society and reclaim our shared inheritance. This accessible, comprehensive introduction to the commons will surprise and enlighten you, and provoke you to action.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0865717680
• ISBN13: 9780865717688
• Release Date: April 2014
• Publisher: New Society Publishers
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.66 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"