Beyond Marx with Marx

In this episode, we explore the systemic dismantling of our shared resources with Guy Standing, author of the timely and urgent book, "Plunder of the Commons: A Manifesto for Sharing Public Wealth." Standing argues that we are living through a "fifth wave" of enclosure, where everything from our natural environment and public services to our very digital data is being snatched away by private interests and "rentier" capital.

We journey back to the year 1217 to rediscover the Charter of the Forest, a vital but often forgotten companion to the Magna Carta that established a constitutional "right to subsistence" for all. From this historical baseline, Standing breaks down the "Lauderdale Paradox"—the inconvenient truth that as private riches grow, public wealth inevitably declines through the creation of contrived scarcity. We examine the five spheres of the commons currently under attack: the Natural Commons (the "colonization" of our water, wind, and air), the Social Commons (the erosion of the NHS and affordable housing), the Civil Commons (the loss of due process and the rise of "policy by algorithm"), the Cultural Commons (the closure of libraries and privatization of public squares), and the Knowledge Commons (the enclosure of ideas by Big Tech and the global patent regime).

Finally, we discuss Standing’s radical roadmap for the future: a new Charter of the Commons and the establishment of a Commons Fund. By levying charges on the commercial exploitation of our shared heritage, Standing proposes a system of Common Dividends that would provide every citizen with a basic income, restoring a sense of security and belonging to the "precariat." Join us as we ask: how do we stop the plunder and take our commons back?

#PlunderOfTheCommons #GuyStanding #TheCommons #CharterOfTheForest #PublicWealth #BasicIncome #CommonDividends #EconomicJustice #SocialProtection #Enclosure #Austerity #ThePrecariat #Commoning #SocialIncome #RightToSubsistence

In this episode, we explore the groundbreaking political and economic vision of Michel Bauwens, Vasilis Kostakis, and Alex Pazaitis as presented in their seminal work, "Peer to Peer: The Commons Manifesto." As global capitalism faces profound structural crises, a new social and economic dynamic is emerging that promises to transform the fundamentals of our social life. We dive into how P2P—both as a non-hierarchical social relationship and a powerful technological infrastructure—enables a vital transition toward a commons-centric economy.

We discuss the authors' core concept of Commons-Based Peer Production (CBPP), a new mode of production where participants freely contribute to shared resources like Wikipedia and open-source hardware projects. The episode breaks down the new "ecosystem of value creation" consisting of three interconnected institutions: the productive community, the generative entrepreneurial coalition, and the for-benefit association. We also explore the radical potential of "cosmolocalism"—the strategic principle of designing globally while manufacturing locally, which allows communities to share "light" knowledge across borders while reducing the environmental impact of "heavy" physical production.

Finally, we look at the roadmap for a "Partner State"—a transformed government that facilitates and protects the direct creation of social value by civil society. Join us as we discuss how to "transvest" value from the extractive capitalist market back into the commons, building a parallel infrastructure of survival and care that aims to render the old, exploitative systems obsolete.

#P2P #TheCommons #MichelBauwens #VasilisKostakis #AlexPazaitis #PeerToPeer #CBPP #PostCapitalism #OpenCooperativism #Cosmolocalism #SocialRevolution #PartnerState #Commoning #DigitalCommons #EconomicJustice #Transvestment

In this episode, we explore the profound and poetic legacy of Jonathan Rowe through his seminal work, "Our Common Wealth: The Hidden Economy That Makes Everything Else Work," edited by Peter Barnes. While modern politics often feels trapped in a binary struggle between the market and the state, Rowe reveals a vast, invisible realm that belongs to all of us—the commons. This "hidden economy" encompasses everything from the atmosphere and fresh water to language, the Internet, and the quiet of our neighborhoods.

We delve into Rowe’s critique of the "myopia of money," where conventional economists fail to account for the invaluable services provided by shared assets. We challenge the cynical myth of the "Tragedy of the Commons," showing instead how communities have successfully managed shared resources for centuries until they were invaded by corporate "enclosures." From the need for a new "accounting for common wealth" to the practical power of "time banking" and public land trusts, we discuss how we can build a parallel economy that prioritises human needs. Join us as we consider how to restore a durable balance between our private pursuits and the common wealth that sustains our very existence.

#TheCommons #JonathanRowe #OurCommonWealth #ParallelEconomy #SocialTrust #Sustainability #TimeBanking #PublicTrust #EconomicJustice #Community #MarketLimits #SharedWealth

In this episode, we delve into the radical political vision of Matt York as presented in his book, "Love and Revolution: A Politics for the Deep Commons." We move beyond the common dismissal of love as a sentimental or private emotion, instead exploring its potential as a powerful "love force" capable of animating global revolution and sustaining a free society.

We trace a distinctive lineage of (r)evolutionary love, connecting the "free love" of Emma Goldman and the "biopolitical" production of Michael Hardt to the anarchist insights of Peter Kropotkin and Pierre-Joseph Proudhon. The discussion examines how our current "dystopian present"—defined by Big Data Capitalism, algorithmic governance, and a terrifying climate emergency—stems from an "ontology of separation" that alienates us from ourselves, each other, and the Earth.

The episode highlights York’s concept of the "Deep Commons," an entangled plurality of more-than-human relations. Drawing on Indigenous ontologies from the Maya to the Zulu, as well as contemporary posthumanist theory, we discuss how shifting our perspective to "immanence" allows us to build free communities in the here-and- now. We explore real-world examples of this "collective heart" in action, from the Zapatista municipalities in Chiapas to the horizontalist structures of Rojava. Join us as we discuss how a politics grounded in (r)evolutionary love can help us "become terrestrials once more" and co-constitute a global community of free communities.

#LoveAndRevolution #MattYork #DeepCommons #Commoning #Anarchism #Posthumanism #Zapatistas #Rojava #SocialRevolution #AgapeicWeb #IndigenousWisdom #PrefigurativePolitics #ClimateJustice #Ubuntu #TotalLiberation

Podcast Episode Title: The Economy of Affection: Mapping the Path of Indigenous Economics

Description: In this episode, we dive into the radical and restorative vision of Ronald L. Trosper as laid out in his definitive work, "Indigenous Economics: Sustaining Peoples and Their Lands." Moving away from the individualistic, scarcity-driven models of mainstream economics, Trosper introduces us to the core principle of "relationality"—a worldview where all beings, human and non-human alike, are conscious participants in a shared social and economic reality.

We explore the profound concept of "Living Well" (buen vivir), which rejects conventional development in favour of strengthening the relationships that sustain life. The discussion covers how Indigenous land tenure systems are built on stewardship rather than absolute property, the debunking of the "Tragedy of the Commons" through traditional reciprocity, and the role of the "Relational Entrepreneur" who creates value for the entire community. From the historical lessons of the Two Row Wampum to the modern pursuit of multispecies justice, we ask: what happens when we stop treating the land as an instrument for profit and start treating it as a relative? Join us to discover how Indigenous economic principles provide a vital roadmap for achieving true sustainability and collective flourishing in the 21st century.

#IndigenousEconomics #RonaldTrosper #Relationality #LivingWell #BuenVivir #TheCommons #Sustainability #MultispeciesJustice #RelationalLeadership #Peoplehood #EconomicRestoration #Reciprocity #IndigenousIdentity

In this episode, we dive into a radical "third path" that shatters the 20th-century binary of neoliberal capitalism and state socialism. We explore a massive stack of post-capitalist theory to map out a horizon known as "the commons", a living system of governance and social organization. We examine the transformative work of Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri (authors of Assembly and Commonwealth), focusing on their concept of the "inverted centaur," which returns long-term strategy to social movements while relegating leadership to a tactical tool.

The conversation journeys through the historical "trauma of enclosure" with Massimo De Angelis (The Beginning of History), revealing how the market functions as a "fractal panopticon" that colonizes our daily lives. We also break down the "Triad of Commoning" developed by David Bollier and Silke Helfrich (Free, Fair, and Alive), which builds upon the Nobel Prize-winning empirical research of Elinor Ostrom to show how communities can successfully manage shared resources without state or market interference.

Finally, we discuss the "nine political propositions" of Pierre Dardot and Christian Laval (Common: On Revolution in the 21st Century), including their radical shift toward "use rights" over absolute property and the concept of "instituent practice" to reclaim public services. Join us as we discuss how a federation of commons can render the existing state apparatus obsolete by building a parallel infrastructure of survival, care, and collective autonomy.

#TheCommons #PostCapitalism #HardtAndNegri #DardotAndLaval #MassimoDeAngelis #Commoning #ElinorOstrom #BollierAndHelfrich #SocialRevolution #MutualAid #InstituentPractice #EconomicJustice #BoundaryCommoning #TheMultitude

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the foundational rethinking of social systems presented by David Bollier and Silke Helfrich in their book, "Free, Fair and Alive: The Insurgent Power of the Commons." Moving beyond the dead-end binary of capitalism versus socialism, the authors present the commons not as a "tragedy" of unmanaged resources, but as a robust, self-organized life-form capable of meeting human needs in fair and sustainable ways.

We explore the essential "OntoShift" required to see the world as a web of relationships rather than a collection of isolated objects. We break down the authors' "Triad of Commoning," which provides a framework for understanding the three interconnected spheres of the commons: the "Social Life" of togetherness, the "Peer Governance" that allows for coordination without hierarchy, and the "Provisioning" methods that sustain us outside of predatory market value chains.

From the "Ubuntu Rationality" of the "Nested-I" to the practical power of "Price Sovereignty" and "Relationalized Property," we discuss how communities—ranging from the Park Slope Food Coop to global open-source hardware networks—are already building a "Commonsverse." Join us as we discuss how to scale these insurgent practices through "Commons-Public Partnerships" and innovative digital tools like Holochain, ultimately showing that a world beyond the market-state is not just possible, but is already sprouting everywhere.

#Commoning #FreeFairAndAlive #DavidBollier #SilkeHelfrich #UbuntuRationality #NestedI #PeerGovernance #PostCapitalism #Commonsverse #SocialRevolution #EconomicJustice #RelationalOntology #SystemChange #CommoningTheWorld

In this episode, we dive into the revolutionary work of the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Economics, as explored in Derek Wall’s insightful book, "Elinor Ostrom’s Rules for Radicals: Cooperative Alternatives Beyond Markets and States." We challenge the long-held "Tragedy of the Commons" narrative—the idea that collective resources are doomed to over-exploitation—by looking at how communities have successfully managed shared forests, fisheries, and meadows for centuries.

We break down Wall’s distillation of Ostrom's findings into thirteen practical "rules for radicals," moving beyond the binary choice of the state or the market. From the ancient water meadows of Cricklade to the high-mountain pastures of Switzerland, we discuss the eight design principles that make a commons sustainable, including clearly defined boundaries, local participation in rule-making, and graduated sanctions for those who break them.

Beyond just resource management, we explore Ostrom’s vision of "polycentricity"—a system of overlapping authorities that fosters diversity and deep democracy. We also touch on how her "anti-essentialist" and "pragmatic" approach provides a vital toolkit for today’s green and socialist movements, offering a roadmap for "co-producing" knowledge and building resilient institutions from the ground up. Join us as we discuss why there are "no panaceas" in politics and how we can craft a future based on trust, cooperation, and the seven-generation rule.

#ElinorOstrom #DerekWall #TheCommons #RulesForRadicals #PoliticalEconomy #Sustainability #Polycentricity #DeepDemocracy #Commoning #PostCapitalism #EcologicalJustice #Cooperation

In this episode, we pull back the curtain on one of the most misunderstood institutions in modern life: money. We are joined by the insights of Mary Mellor, author of the provocative and enlightening book "Money: Myths, Truths and Alternatives." For too long, we’ve been told a "fairy tale" by conventional economics—that money emerged naturally from barter to make trading easier. Mellor shatters this myth, revealing that money is not a scarce, naturally occurring commodity, but a social and political construct rooted in trust and public authority.

We explore Mellor’s three distinct histories of money: the social origins of "customary" money used to cement relationships; the political history of sovereign power and taxation; and the commercial history of banking. We dive into the "magic" performed by modern banks, explaining how they actually conjure money out of thin air through lending, rather than simply acting as intermediaries for savers.

Drawing on the "Sorcerer's Apprentice" metaphor, we discuss how the privatised money supply spiralled out of control during the 2007–08 financial crisis and why it was the state—the ultimate sorcerer—that had to step in and save the system. Finally, we discuss Mellor's radical vision for the future: breaking the spell of "handbag economics" and reclaiming the sovereign power of money creation to fund a "people’s budget," a universal basic income, and a sustainable, socially just world. Join us as we discover why the "magic money tree" isn't a myth—it’s a public resource that belongs to all of us.

#MoneyMyths #MaryMellor #Economics #PublicCurrency #BankingMagic #SocialJustice #BasicIncome #FinancialCrisis #DemocratiseMoney #TheMagicMoneyTree #PostTruthEconomics #MonetaryReform

Podcast Episode Title: Beyond the Republic of Property: Reclaiming the Common Wealth

Description: In this episode, we take a deep dive into the visionary political philosophy of Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri as laid out in their landmark work, "Commonwealth." Moving beyond the traditional binary of private versus public, Hardt and Negri argue that our contemporary era is defined by the "biopolitical" production of the common—the shared knowledges, languages, affects, and social relations that sustain our world.

We explore their sharp critique of the "Republic of Property," where legal and economic structures work together to capture and privatise these common resources. The discussion journeys from the "multitude of the poor" to the modern metropolis, which the authors describe as the new factory of the common. We examine the shift from "antimodern" resistance to "altermodern" liberation, where movements for racial, gender, and economic justice find a parallel path toward a world beyond identity and sovereignty.

Central to our conversation is the radical reclamation of love as a potent political force—not as a sentimental feeling, but as a constituent power that builds new social bodies and autonomous institutions. Join us as we discuss how the multitude can cross the threshold from being exploited subjects to becoming self-governing architects of a common future, ultimately aiming for the institution of public happiness.

#Commonwealth #HardtAndNegri #TheMultitude #TheCommon #Biopolitics #Altermodernity #PostCapitalism #SocialMovement #Metropolis #Revolution #Singularity #PoliticalLove #DemocraticDecisionMaking