Microentrevista: Langdon Winner

“La tecnologías libres son de vital importancia porque ofrecen potencialmente caminos fructíferos para desafiar la concentración de riqueza, ingresos y poder político que ahora afligen a las sociedades de todo el mundo”.

Langdon Winner, es un teórico político que se centra en temas sociales y políticos que rodean el cambio tecnológico moderno. El norteamericano respondió de la siguiente forma a nuestra microentrevista (en inglés).

How important are free technologies in society?

Free technologies are crucially important because they offer potentially fruitful ways to challenge concentrations of wealth, income and political power that now afflict societies around the world.  They offer pathways for creating more sensible ways of living.

Free culture was born after the emergence of the free software movement, using the same paradigms and free licenses. Is it possible to make the leap from free culture to free architecture, free agriculture or free economy?

Yes, it is possible to raise the questions and map the alternatives characteristic of free software within other key domains of practice.  This step is especially important for young people now entering the vocations and professions.  If they come to understand that private property and corporate control are not the only ways to organize the world, then vast horizons of creative activity immediately come into view.

How would you define the commons?

The American philosopher Paul Goodman defined the issue with a simple question that goes roughly as follows.  “Is the purpose of an economy to make it easier for people to get the things they need or harder?”  The idea of the commons answers:  “easier” and make the other answer seem crazy.

Can the Social Knowledge Economy that Ecuador is creating be an alternative to capitalism?

My knowledge of activities in Ecuador is pretty thin. Certainly we need alternatives to capitalism while there is still time to save the planet and its diverse species from utter destruction.

What are your expectations for #BuenConocer Summit in Quito?

I hope the Summit will shed light on ways that well proven applications of open knowledge and economies of sharing can extend beyond the fields of practice in which they are now prominent, helping them take root in a great many other spheres of everyday life.