Does Burning Man Mean That a Post-Scarcity Society Would Be a Libertarian Utopia? Not Quite. – InsideSources - Erin Mundahl:
January 25, 2018 - "Every year, some 70,000 people descend upon the Nevada desert for an experience somewhere between an art festival, a music festival, and a tent city. The Burning Man festival bills itself as an “experiment in temporary community,” founded upon concepts of radical self-reliance, anti-consumerism, and self expression. At the Burning Man camp, 'guiding principles' rather than strictly enforced rules govern, and even bartering has been replaced by the act of giving. It sounds something like a libertarian’s dream – and many would say that it is. In a discussion fostered by the Cato Institute, former Burning Man attendees acknowledged that to remain orderly, even this experiment in giving and radical openness requires understanding general principles that start to sound an awful lot like rules.
"'Because cash exchanges and to some extent the barter system are banned in Black Rock City, Burning Man is often viewed as an anti-capitalist community that is very against the ideas of libertarianism,' said Cat Murti, Senior Digital Outreach Manager at the Cato Institute. 'However, as a voluntary association driven by freedom of association, self-governance, non-violent dispute mediation and emergent order, Burning Man is in many ways somewhat of an example of modern libertopia,' she said....
"When choosing to attend, people decide to follow the guiding principles of the festival. This, combined with the necessity of purchasing a ticket, emphasizes the voluntary association inherent in the festival structure.... 'We can think of Burning Man, to an extent, as having an independent governing system,' says Mark Lutter, president of the Institute for Innovative Governance and a Burning Man attendee. 'For example, there is no exchange. Not only is there no money, but there is no barter. So you need to bring with you everything that you are going to use for the week'....
"The rule against bartering is not strictly enforced. Rather, the culture of the camp is one of both self-reliance and giving.... Lutter explained how the unusual social rules of the camp create a different social structure and, by extension, a different community experience than life outside of the camp....
"Burning Man exists as something temporary. The camp only needs to function for a little over a week. As a result, it escapes the need for much of the regulation that governs the smooth day to day existence of cities and towns. In part, this reflects the reality that people behave differently when they know that they will only be together for a limited period of time....
"[E]xperiment might be the best way to characterize Burning Man. For a period of a little over a week, different rules apply and a group of self-selected and rather dedicated people are able to create a new society. Whether that society would or could exist for a month or longer is another question altogether."
Read more: http://www.insidesources.com/does-burning-man-mean-that-a-post-scarcity-society-would-be-a-libertarian-utopia-not-quite/
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January 25, 2018 - "Every year, some 70,000 people descend upon the Nevada desert for an experience somewhere between an art festival, a music festival, and a tent city. The Burning Man festival bills itself as an “experiment in temporary community,” founded upon concepts of radical self-reliance, anti-consumerism, and self expression. At the Burning Man camp, 'guiding principles' rather than strictly enforced rules govern, and even bartering has been replaced by the act of giving. It sounds something like a libertarian’s dream – and many would say that it is. In a discussion fostered by the Cato Institute, former Burning Man attendees acknowledged that to remain orderly, even this experiment in giving and radical openness requires understanding general principles that start to sound an awful lot like rules.
"'Because cash exchanges and to some extent the barter system are banned in Black Rock City, Burning Man is often viewed as an anti-capitalist community that is very against the ideas of libertarianism,' said Cat Murti, Senior Digital Outreach Manager at the Cato Institute. 'However, as a voluntary association driven by freedom of association, self-governance, non-violent dispute mediation and emergent order, Burning Man is in many ways somewhat of an example of modern libertopia,' she said....
"When choosing to attend, people decide to follow the guiding principles of the festival. This, combined with the necessity of purchasing a ticket, emphasizes the voluntary association inherent in the festival structure.... 'We can think of Burning Man, to an extent, as having an independent governing system,' says Mark Lutter, president of the Institute for Innovative Governance and a Burning Man attendee. 'For example, there is no exchange. Not only is there no money, but there is no barter. So you need to bring with you everything that you are going to use for the week'....
"The rule against bartering is not strictly enforced. Rather, the culture of the camp is one of both self-reliance and giving.... Lutter explained how the unusual social rules of the camp create a different social structure and, by extension, a different community experience than life outside of the camp....
"Burning Man exists as something temporary. The camp only needs to function for a little over a week. As a result, it escapes the need for much of the regulation that governs the smooth day to day existence of cities and towns. In part, this reflects the reality that people behave differently when they know that they will only be together for a limited period of time....
"[E]xperiment might be the best way to characterize Burning Man. For a period of a little over a week, different rules apply and a group of self-selected and rather dedicated people are able to create a new society. Whether that society would or could exist for a month or longer is another question altogether."
Read more: http://www.insidesources.com/does-burning-man-mean-that-a-post-scarcity-society-would-be-a-libertarian-utopia-not-quite/
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