Hello friends,
We're in the middle of appraising the Qi project as part of the ongoing prototype of Attribution-Based Economics (introduced in my talk at EmacsConf). The general idea of ABE is to recognize sources of value -- and recognition must be financial if it is to be fair -- in an open and transparent process, thereby supporting and empowering value creation in society. At the stage of the process where we are right now, we need:
Any "project" that you know of -- for instance a paper or a research group or an organization -- that is currently engaged in developing traditional ideas of Qi and Taoist concepts, researching their history, tracing their connection to modern traditions of knowledge, or anything else. Basically, we are looking for appropriate antecedents who will be eligible for a share of recognition from Qi-the-language -- and it would be best if these antecedents have a somewhat direct connection to the traditional sources and, if possible, follow some tradition that we might roughly characterize as "academic." But really, anything you feel is relevant is relevant for consideration, so please get in touch. I think it would be especially useful to hear from members of the community who hail from East Asia.
This may seem an unusual request, but I wanted to open with it so that you understand the need first without needing to know all the details. The details follow.
As I mentioned, Qi is one of the projects piloting this new economic model ("ABE" - pronounced like Lincoln), and community participation is essential to the accuracy of its foundational processes. We're currently at the stage of recognizing antecedents to Qi, where the precise definition of an antecedent from an ABE perspective is: any (prior) project exhibiting ideas that are exhibited by the project being appraised. We've enumerated ideas exhibited by Qi and have begun to identify some antecedents. But one big idea that isn't captured in the analysis so far is the concept of Qi itself -- that is, the concept of vital energy as conceived in the broader Taoist "flow-oriented" tradition.
The problem of appropriation is very challenging and insidious, not just because it is usually invisible, but because everything visible convinces us of the implausibility of it ever having occurred. Nevertheless, by doing our small part to start to attribute things in a more rigorous way, I believe we will stem the tide of appropriation and begin to reveal the many wonderful and valuable things that have been hidden by its swells. Attribution Based Economics is an elegant solution to the problem of appropriation, one that doesn't require constraining anyone's freedom and indeed empowers sources of value by promoting the freedom of all.
Thank you - your help really is essential!
Sid