The panel I helped organise on the philosophy of the commons at iCommons' annual iSummit in Dubrovnik went down really well. It got some nice writeups on the iCommons web site (one, two, three) and spurred lots more discussions throughout the event. In fact it was so much fun, and got so many people talking from the audience, that David Berry and I are thinking of editing a collected volume of articles on the subject! It has also really made me want to go and do a PhD again, though I've no idea where I might do it, nor whether I'd look at this sort of stuff or focus on more practical green political issues.

As usual, the best bits of the summit were in between scheduled panels, talking mainly with people from openDemocracy, academics, activists and some of the really great artists (I had the pleasure of finally chatting with Joy Garnett). By the time our panel came around my brain was completely thrown so my talk was a bit impromptu. Given that this confusion remains, here are some sketchy thoughts on where I'd like to take my chapter, where I want to focus my thoughts.

First, I've been trying to translate the typical discourse of free culture into one that makes more sense. In my talk I spoke a bit about the way in which the free culture movement has inherited the free software movement's tendency to label things as "free" and "non-free" without thinking through the arguments that made Stallman & co. arrive at those terms. As Andrew Rens pointed out, it's particularly sick to tell a South African, whose country went through a painful 50-year struggle against apartheid, that they have the wrong meaning of "free"! I find it completely nonsensical to say "that piece of art isn't free". So here are some translations:

• free culture -> free cultural practice
• free content -> free relations with cultural artefacts
• digital commons -> a commons of cultural activity; spaces in which cultural activity unfolds freely, in which self-realisation is possible / facilitates / encouraged / etc.
• enclosure of the digital commons -> enclosure of domains of cultural practice

Second, I want to synthesise various strands of work that I've done over the years to better reflect this new discourse: my MA dissertation on a Lockean argument for free culture; my undergraduate dissertation on the hacker ethic, alienation and meaningful work; my recent short writings about Lessig's shifting CC ideology and real cultural freedom. Lots of thinking to be done in spare moments!

My article criticising Larry Lessig for the direction in which he is taking Creative Commons is up on openDemocracy. It opened a series of critical reflections on free culture that they're gathering together in advance of the iSummit this weekend, which is really great to see. Tony Curzon-Price has followed up with a provoking piece suggesting that there is such a thing as virtuous scarcity, which I partly agree with, although I don't think it's anything openDemocracy need to worry about.

Now isn't the time to circle the wagons! I hope this helps set the tone for the summit, where I'll be speaking on a panel about the philosophy of the commons.

I've organised a session at the annual iCommons summit, this year being held in the lovely Dubrovnik, Croatia. The panel and audience will debate the philosophy of the commons; here's the blurb: "What do we mean by ‘free culture’? Is it just a reaction against copyright, or a broader positive movement for the arts? Should we take our inspiration from the free software movement, and if not what philosophical and tactical differences should we account for? Debate over the Creative Commons non-commercial licenses, and the diversity of approaches on show at the iSummit, suggest we have plenty of disagreements to resolve or reinforce!" With the session I hope to stimulate some critical thinking about the commons, and some reflection on what we are working to build, promote or attack.

The argument I will present is based upon my MA Philosophy dissertation and a few years of "in the trenches" work with free culture projects like Remix Reading and Free Culture UK. It's also something I'm currently working up into a book, which I'll finish if I can find a publisher interested in it. My main aim is to sound a note of caution for those working on definitions like Freedom Defined and the Open Knowledge Foundation. Read on for a synopsis of my argument...