Chapter 18. The libertarian utopia.

In this Part Three we have tried to set firm bases, to lay solid foundations for the construction of a more balanced, more humane society, more satisfying for all and each one of its members.

We could now summarize all the suggestions submitted in three sections:

Starting from these basic social realities, it is possible to start to set farther reaching goals, more liberating projects. It is possible to start thinking how to put into practice the best ideals and utopias of mankind: freedom, justice, peace, harmony, equity...

All these noble aspirations are nowadays sustained by a number of social and political movements: pacifism, ecologism, non-violence, libertarian socialism... But they will always stay in the area of the unattainable-utopian, as long as they do not start from the basis of social structures radically different from the present ones.

1. Oppressing structures and libertarian structures.

The working hypothesis we support concerning society and its evolution partakes of Marx's historic materialism. In fact, we affirm that in the life and evolution of societies there are basic structures which condition the remaining social structure.

For Marx, these structures were one with the production relations; we will not deny it, but we will add that there is another structure, perhaps even more decisive, that nobody has ever considered, but which could be a very effective starter of all the social processes: we mean the monetary structure.

At present both the so-called capitalistic society and the so-called communist society share the same sort of monetary structure: the anonymous currency. As we have seen in chapter 2, the specific metal currency or anonymous currency is irrational and, therefore, unsettles the market instead of helping it to reach a dynamic balance. Moreover, because it is anonymous, impersonal and irresponsibilizing, it is also socially unsettling: it is the source of all power over people, of all plutarchy, and it is the instrument of all corruption and all oppression.

The elimination of anonymous currency, and its substitution by an all-informative monetary system, all-personalizing and all-responsibilizing, means the establishment of a monetary structure basically clarifying and libertarian, essentially opposed to all plutarchic power, and improving the specific powers of each individual.

Only starting from libertarian infrastructures, and more specifically from the monetary structure, will the superstructures become liberating for man: utopia will become feasible.

We are not trying to define a utopian society, because, in order to be free, it must be completely unpredictable. But we want to give some ideas of how, on the social structures previously described, may start to be put into practice some of the most felt aspirations of our time.

2. The post-logical society.

In chapter 13 we have explicitly mentioned the imperialization of the statistic-analytic information on the monetary market and society, obtained through the telematic monetary network.

But, in fact, all sorts of information, not only the monetary one, will be imperialized, and also all its technical means. In fact, within the liberal service of permanent education and training, are included all sorts of publishing and press forms: graphic, visual, audio, audio-visual... The press and publishing professionals will be considered liberal professionals and, therefore, their services will be free.

On the other hand, the data-processing revolution at present causes the telematic technology to be more and more the support of any transmission, filing away and data processing (through the telephone, television, teletext, telecopying..., data bank..., computers...). And we have also said that these technologies will be considered a public service and, therefore, will be imperialized and of free access. At present, telematics is a hyperlogics, that is an exasperation, an exaggeration, and absolute primacy of the logic processes; but it is necessary to reach quickly a post-logics, which is a telematic technology within everybody's reach, evolved enough to be able to dialogue with the user in a commonplace language and, therefore, suitable for any cultural and training level. When everybody will be able to use telematics simply, easily, naturally and comfortably, we will have reached the post-logic age. It is not necessary for everybody to be conversant in logics or data-processing; with a few specialists there is quite enough. It is only necessary for everybody to be able to use it lucidly, understanding that it is just an auxiliary instrument, the same as we can use a hammer, a pair of scissors...

The liberalization of information implies its free circulation, without any restriction, control nor censorship. It is only necessary to protect the professional and industrial secret, and the privacy of each individual. Besides this, everybody is free to express his responsible opinion, and everybody has access to the whole of the circulating information.

The freedom of the information circulation has a very strong culturing power. Information and knowledge are essential and vital factors for the self-development of each individual, of each society, of each culture. If they are put at their free and gratuitous disposal, the resulting progress and dynamics will be spectacular.

3. The ecological society.

Life in harmony with nature, the respect of natural environment, the return to craftsamanship production systems, giving priority to quality above quantity, life in small communities and the disappearance of monster-cities..., all these objectives will only be attained little by little within a cultured, responsible and wealthy society.

Of course, a suitable legislation can do a lot. As we have already said in chapter 15, starting from basic State laws the guilds will work out ecological production strategies, which all the companies will have to respect. Municipalization of the land is a very useful instrument to face an effective town and territorial policy. The preferential communal credits may be a very important weapon in order to foster interesting production strategies: the use of natural energies, reduced companies, research of the best quality...

Now, if the relationship between man and nature is to change its trend, going from the present possessive and destructive orientation to one of respect and admiration, a radical change of mind is necessary, and this takes time and cannot be decided by law. Here the libertarian social structures can help to accelerate the process. A clear and transparent society, monetarily responsible, with a lot of free time, with a production abundance and a great communal solidarity towards those who need it, is a society which does not put obstacles to ideas, to social experimentation, which does not condition minds but leaves them free and helps them in their initiatives and, therefore, fosters the social mutation and transformation.

4. The pacified society.

War is not a connatural fact to man, which must be necessarily inferred from his own nature. On the contrary, war has a historical origin and therefore also a historical end.

It appears that the violent and organized confrontations among human groups start only when sedentary populations exist with an ability to accumulate utilitarian goods (this would be, approximately, about 10,000 years b.C.). In the areas in which, for some reason, there occurs a resources shortage with respect to population, the first confrontations take place in order to pilfer the pantries of those better supplied.

In any case, these situations appear to be rather exceptional, while the peaceful relations mong groups prevail. Up to the metals age, when the first, outspokenly warlike metal weapons are produced, and when a clear social hierarchization is already evident, it appears that it cannot be spoken of war in the full extension of the word.

When anonymous currency appears, a qualitatively different stage in the history of war appears, because to the exertion of brute force must be added the exertion of subtle power, much more antilibertarian than the other one.

As a valid generalization for all stages, however, we can say that war is always the answer to a social situation of antilibertarian compression -whether it is a spontaneous answer, or caused and channelled by the interests of an imperialistic power-. For this reason, the disappearance of anonymous currency in the first place, and the construction of libertarian social structures in all the areas, in the second place, will be the first step towards a progressive pacification of society.

Inside each empire Justice will have the main role in this pacification task, because, through its calm and objective action, being fully documented, it is in charge of pacifying all the conflicts and confrontations which may appear.

On a world agreement basis, situation is nowadays featured by the so-called armaments trend: under falsely strategic-defensive claims, the armaments trend conceals the plutarchic and oppressing interests of present imperialisms. The only feasible way out for an empire which wants to escape from this situation, consist of:

5. The anarchic socialism.

Much farther than the ideals we have mentioned up to now, are the ideals of the anarchic socialism: the disappearance of any sort of archy or social rule, and the diasappearance of any difference of wealth and social prestige among individuals.

For the time being, these two ideals remain still in the field of the unrealizable utopia, because they imply very deep changes, not only in the social structures, but also in the genetic-hereditary structures themselves of man.

In any case, we have suggested two fundamental steps which follow just this line: first, the constitutional reduction and limitation of any archy; second, the distribution of finances to consumption for all citizens, equitably, according to their most urgent material needs, and with a total equality of access to cultural resources.

We do not want to be profets, but we think that these steps may be the firm basis on which society may evolve in a more and more libertarian way: the arrival points of this evolution are unexpected and unimaginable.