“As a paradigm, the commons consists of working, evolving models of self-provisioning and stewardship that combine the economic and the social, the collective and the personal.”
“to honour the commons can risk unpleasant encounters with the power of the Market/State duopoly”
“commoners realise this [consumerism, hyper-growth ] is not just a morally deficient, spiritually unsatisfying vision for humanity; it is also a mad utopian fantasy”
“[the commons] invites people to achieve their own bottom-up, do-it-yourself styles of emancipation.”
“it [the commons] has little interest in hidebound party politics, rigid ideologies or remote centralized institutions”
“quiet revolution”
“Our archaic system of nation-states and international bodies cannot mobilize itself to deal intelligently with a gravely imperiled planetary ecosystem. It resists serious measures to improve social justice and fair distribution.”
to escape their fate as low-paid, bonded laborers, and to remake themselves as self-reliant, proud farmers.