(no subject)
The Temporary Autonomous Zone
Presented at Notacon 3
7 April 2006
I stand in front of you to relate experiences and philosophies, lessons
learned and concepts grasped, in proposal of an idea which blends seam-
lessly in and out of the objective notion of human existence.
Before we delve too deeply into a political theory of human interaction,
we need to cover the basic stepping stones to ensure we're on the same
page. I'll refer to Henry David Thoreau, who in Walden discovered that
if we try to separate ourselves from the natural technological progre-
ssion of society, we inevitably create our own patterns and subconsio-
usly imprint them upon our surroundings. Regardless of whether he was
living off Emerson's pocket, his observations, while juvenile, serve a
very enlightening purpose. For just a moment, the uneducated man can
stop, reflect on his daily routine, and realize that no matter what the
change, no matter how chaotic he thinks it might be, life will always
form a cyclic pattern around his actions.
We can all see routine in our lives. We learn it from our imprimers
(parents, guardians, influencers) and bestow it upon our successors.
Some routine is based on our biological makeup: sleep patterns derive
from our circadian rhythm, eating and waste confer to metabolism and
labor, and active physical movement keeps our bodies from growing
stagnant. We must keep moving and evolving to stay alive. Other rout-
ines are cultural: the types of food we eat, how we work and move
(dependant on physical landscape as well as the technology we have),
and in general the mood of the people reflects how prosperous a culture
is.
This cycle is reflected on a wider scope when we consider the interco-
urse of men. In Plato's Republic, Socrates describes how a small vill-
age consists of few people, each of whom contribute something to the
whole. As more people populate, markets form to allow broader trade,
and the people's lives adapt to fit not only their individual biological
needs, but those of others. When we look at the stock markets, we are
seeing this principal carried out to serve an entire country.
Most people spend their lives in this cyclic adaptation, adjusting mi-
nute details of their lives to accomodate changes (supply/demand of
labor, children, etc). The things they consider important are those
which either sustain their existence, or allow more comfort. An imba-
lance between existence and comfort, whether it be living a monotonous
life ("all work and no play"), or spending one evening in glamour only
to suffer your depleted resources for the next month or year, can lead
to depression. Some people are able to gamble well (good investments)
and come out with a higher general comfort level.
This balancing game is so complex and thought-consuming that these pe-
ople never stop to observe the nature of the cycle which propels them.
Those we do are either experts in their fields and given leadership
roles (at least, according to Socrates), or step outside and become
observers, philosophers. Those who do can appreciate political evolu-
tion- from an autonomous small village to an interconnected metropolis
where, to properly function, certain stipends and limitations must be
placed to statify the society into a working whole.
Ned Ludd is famous for leading revolts against English textile facto-
ries in the early 1800s, whose followers, since called Luddites, per-
sist today in protests against people who they view have unfair power
and money. The English rebels are no strangers in this battle, which
has resulted in Marxism, Communism, and Democracy. We can identify
specific stages (or political systems) in societal evolution, some
noted by growth and others by destruction. Rome rose and fell. It is
this rotating process which true philosophers identify as anarchy--
not the "smash the system" approach so many idiots take.
When we realize this cycle exist, we can further see that because men
are imperfect, their societies are imperfect. Underneath major cities,
whole networks of subway systems lay abandoned from obselescence.
Likewise, if buildings and structures are able to escape the rotation,
people who can identify the stages and predict them are also able to
escape.
When we understand how the cycle works, we can interpose changes that
will go unnoticed. If we can find a crack, explore it, and build a
world of our own design, provided we destroy it ourselves before it is
discovered, we can recreate it as many times as we want. In this self-
created world, we create our own society, and we create our own rules.
This world is the Temporary Autonomous Zone.
--aestetix
Presented at Notacon 3
7 April 2006
I stand in front of you to relate experiences and philosophies, lessons
learned and concepts grasped, in proposal of an idea which blends seam-
lessly in and out of the objective notion of human existence.
Before we delve too deeply into a political theory of human interaction,
we need to cover the basic stepping stones to ensure we're on the same
page. I'll refer to Henry David Thoreau, who in Walden discovered that
if we try to separate ourselves from the natural technological progre-
ssion of society, we inevitably create our own patterns and subconsio-
usly imprint them upon our surroundings. Regardless of whether he was
living off Emerson's pocket, his observations, while juvenile, serve a
very enlightening purpose. For just a moment, the uneducated man can
stop, reflect on his daily routine, and realize that no matter what the
change, no matter how chaotic he thinks it might be, life will always
form a cyclic pattern around his actions.
We can all see routine in our lives. We learn it from our imprimers
(parents, guardians, influencers) and bestow it upon our successors.
Some routine is based on our biological makeup: sleep patterns derive
from our circadian rhythm, eating and waste confer to metabolism and
labor, and active physical movement keeps our bodies from growing
stagnant. We must keep moving and evolving to stay alive. Other rout-
ines are cultural: the types of food we eat, how we work and move
(dependant on physical landscape as well as the technology we have),
and in general the mood of the people reflects how prosperous a culture
is.
This cycle is reflected on a wider scope when we consider the interco-
urse of men. In Plato's Republic, Socrates describes how a small vill-
age consists of few people, each of whom contribute something to the
whole. As more people populate, markets form to allow broader trade,
and the people's lives adapt to fit not only their individual biological
needs, but those of others. When we look at the stock markets, we are
seeing this principal carried out to serve an entire country.
Most people spend their lives in this cyclic adaptation, adjusting mi-
nute details of their lives to accomodate changes (supply/demand of
labor, children, etc). The things they consider important are those
which either sustain their existence, or allow more comfort. An imba-
lance between existence and comfort, whether it be living a monotonous
life ("all work and no play"), or spending one evening in glamour only
to suffer your depleted resources for the next month or year, can lead
to depression. Some people are able to gamble well (good investments)
and come out with a higher general comfort level.
This balancing game is so complex and thought-consuming that these pe-
ople never stop to observe the nature of the cycle which propels them.
Those we do are either experts in their fields and given leadership
roles (at least, according to Socrates), or step outside and become
observers, philosophers. Those who do can appreciate political evolu-
tion- from an autonomous small village to an interconnected metropolis
where, to properly function, certain stipends and limitations must be
placed to statify the society into a working whole.
Ned Ludd is famous for leading revolts against English textile facto-
ries in the early 1800s, whose followers, since called Luddites, per-
sist today in protests against people who they view have unfair power
and money. The English rebels are no strangers in this battle, which
has resulted in Marxism, Communism, and Democracy. We can identify
specific stages (or political systems) in societal evolution, some
noted by growth and others by destruction. Rome rose and fell. It is
this rotating process which true philosophers identify as anarchy--
not the "smash the system" approach so many idiots take.
When we realize this cycle exist, we can further see that because men
are imperfect, their societies are imperfect. Underneath major cities,
whole networks of subway systems lay abandoned from obselescence.
Likewise, if buildings and structures are able to escape the rotation,
people who can identify the stages and predict them are also able to
escape.
When we understand how the cycle works, we can interpose changes that
will go unnoticed. If we can find a crack, explore it, and build a
world of our own design, provided we destroy it ourselves before it is
discovered, we can recreate it as many times as we want. In this self-
created world, we create our own society, and we create our own rules.
This world is the Temporary Autonomous Zone.
--aestetix