No doubt you are aware of Ivan Illich’s 1983 article, “Silence is a Commons.” The rich did not only destroy the commons, they erased its memory. Very few people who may be reading this have any notion of what the concept means.

And yet, wherever a new commons emerges, the attempt to enclose it begins immediately. What can’t be fenced cannot be owned. The existence of such space stabs directly at the heart of capitalism and property. It is a heresy that must be obliterated as soon as possible, before it can spread.

Thanks for an excellent article, Keith. I look forward to reading the articles you included.