[okfn-discuss] workshop on emergent democracy // tuesday 19 august in shoreditch

Sat Aug 9 18:45:44 UTC 2008

hallo everyone

this is my first post to the list so to introduce myself i'm ceo of  
the software company trampoline systems (trampolinesystems.com) and  
founder of circus foundation (circus-foundation.org). i'm organising  
an informal workshop on emergent democracy on tuesday 19th august at  
the trampery in shoreditch (details below). jonathan gray suggested i  
should circulate details to the list. please get in touch if you'd be  
interested to talk about something you're working on or thinking about  
at the moment, and feel free to pass the details on to anyone else you  
think might be interested. there are slots for 3 more contributors  
available at the moment.

i'll be presenting part of a session i did at foo camp last month on  
the relationship between technological innovation and social structure.

facebook users can rsvp here:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=22558039334

thanks!

: charles

= = = = = = = = = =
// WORKSHOP //

Project Themis : Emergent Democracy

Where: The Trampery, 8-15 Dereham Place, London EC2A 3HJ

When: 6pm to 9pm on Tuesday 19th August 2008

Who: Anyone interested in what democracy is for & where it’s going

Cost: Free

When the first city states emerged in southern Mesopotamia around  
3500BC they seem to have been governed via an assembly in which all  
adult male citizens were able to participate. Meanwhile less formal  
systems to make collective decisions for the common benefit have  
existed since the beginning of human social evolution. So there is a  
somewhat longer history for what we might call “democracy” than is  
typically acknowledged. Throughout human history democracy has taken a  
myriad different forms, each instance adapted to the particular  
environment and needs that prompted its emergence.

Depending on who you listen to we’re either on the brink of an  
explosion of new democratic models or the wholesale abandonment of  
democracy in favour of more tyrannical structures. Factors as diverse  
as the internet, climate change, single-issue politics and the dawning  
of the age of aquarius are all cited as decisive factors. Some of the  
most intriguing suggestions relate to so-called “emergent democracy”  
where clusters of opinion materialise and align themselves in a  
completely fluid and decentralised fashion (the Wikipedia article is  
hopeless and needs rewriting).

The workshop

On Tuesday 19th August CIRCUS foundation is hosting a small workshop  
in Shoreditch, London investigating emergent democracy and other  
trends in democratic systems. We’d like to hear from anyone who’s  
thinking or working in this field and willing to talk about their  
ideas and experiences. People are also welcome to come along, listen  
and ask questions. Please get in touch with Charles Armstrong (charles at CIRCUS-foundation.org 
). We’ll get in beer and pizza to keep the wolf from the door.

About CIRCUS foundation

CIRCUS foundation is a small, independent non profit bringing together  
technologists and thinkers to help build bridges to the post  
industrial society.
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