Content uploaded by Knut Wimberger
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Knut Wimberger on Mar 19, 2020
Content may be subject to copyright.
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
Abstract:$This$essay$reviews$Leopold$Kohr’s$book$The$Breakdown$of$Nations$and$asks$
which$organizational$principles$a$global$3rd$millennium$society$should$be$governed$by.$
While$Kohr$suggest$the$organization$around$political$parties$grouped$around$cultural$
territories,$the$author$suggests$an$organization$in$communities$around$the$instincts$of$
work$and$survival$paired$with$the$concept$of$bioregions$and$made$scalable$by$appropriate$
blockchain$technology.$
*$
Leopold$Kohr$was$the$originator$of$the$concept$of$“the$
human$scale”,$an$idea$later$popularized$by$his$friend$E.F.$
Schumacher,$notably$in$the$best-selling$book$Small$is$
Beautiful.$Born$near$Salzburg$in$1909,$Kohr$was$an$
economist$by$profession,$holding$academic$positions$at$
many$universities.$$
$
As#the#physicists#of#our#time#have#tried#to#elaborate#an#
integrated#single#theory,#capable#of#explaining#not#only#
some#but#all#phenomena#of#the#physical#universe,#so#I#have#
tried#on#a#different#plane#to#develop#a#single#theory#through#
which#not#only#some#but#all#phenomena#of#the#social#
universe#can#be#reduced#to#a#common#denominator.#The#
result#is#a#new#and#unified#political#philosophy#centering#in#
the#theory#of#size.#It#suggests#that#there#seems#only#one#
cause#behind#all#forms#of#social#misery:#bigness.#[p.22]#
#
In$“The$Breakdown$of$Nations”$Leopold$Kohr$shows$that,$throughout$history,$people$who$
have$lived$in$small$states$are$happier,$more$peaceful,$more$creative$and$more$prosperous.$
He$argues$that$virtually$all$our$political$and$social$problems$would$be$greatly$diminished$if$
the$world’s$major$countries$were$to$dissolve$back$into$the$small$states$from$which$they$
sprang.$Rather$than$making$ever-larger$political$unions,$in$the$mistaken$belief$that$this$will$
bring$peace$and$security,$we$should$minimize$the$aggregation$of$power$by$returning$to$a$
patchwork$of$small,$relatively$powerless$states,$where$leaders$are$accessible$and$
responsive$to$the$people.$$
$
Thus,#the#greater#the#aggregation,#the#more#dwarfish#becomes#man.#But#this#is#not#all,#for#
along#with#the#decline#of#a#person’s#share#in#sovereignty#goes#a#decline#in#his#share#in#
government.#[p.#118]#
#
The$political$scientist$Kohr$does$not$argue$for$a$return$to$exploitative$feudalism,$petty$
kingdoms$or$pre-Neolithic$hunter-gatherer$tribes.$Instead$he$separates$the$economic$realm$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
from$the$political$one$and$envisions$a$global$economic$system$paired$with$local$political$
units.$$
#
Would#it#not#be#truly#reactionary#to#erect#again#the#countless#barriers#separating#countless#
regions#from#each#other,#impeding#traffic#and#trade,#and#undoing#the#gigantic#economic#
progress#which#the#existence#of#large-area#states#and#the#resultant#big-plant#and#mass-
production#facilities#have#made#possible?#If#union#has#sense#anywhere,#it#certainly#has#in#the#
economic#sphere#considering#that#without#it#our#living#standards#would#in#all#likelihood#still#
be#at#the#low#level#that#characterized#the#Middle#Ages.#[p.#143]#
#
Kohr$concludes$his$socio-economical$deliberations$by$suggesting$a$union$through$division$
and$quotes$Henry$C.$Simons:$These#monsters#of#nationalism#and#mercantilism#must#be#
dismantled.$It$is$interesting$that$Kohr’s$political-administrative$model$of$a$global$society$
echoes$the$ideas$of$visionary$paleontologist$Pierre$Teilhard$de$Chardin,$who$wrote$about$
the$concept$of$a$noosphere,$i.e.$a$global$spiritual$sphere,$which$unites$the$multitude$of$
human$entities$on$planet$Earth.$When$I$missed$solid$economic$thinking$in$Chardin’s$
writing,$I$do$miss$the$spiritual$and$natural$scientific$perspective$in$Kohr’s$work.$They$make$
though$a$great$complimentary$reading.$$
$
Summarizing,#we#may#thus#say#that#even#economics#refuses#to#yield#arguments#against#a#
small-state#world.#For,#even#in#the#field#of#economics,#the#only#problem#of#significance#seems#
to#be#the#problem#of#excessive#size,#suggesting#as#its#solution#not#growth,#no#union,#but#
division.#We#have#found#that#high#living#standards#in#large#states#seem#a#macro-economic#
illusion#while#they#appear#to#be#a#micro-economic#reality#in#mature#small#ones.#We#have#
found#that,#as#the#size#of#the#productive#unit#grows,#its#productivity#ultimately#begins#to#
decline#until,#instead#of#giving#off#energy,#it#puts#on#fat.#We#have#found#that#the#reason#for#this#
is#the#law#of#diminishing#productivity#which#puts#limits#to#the#size#of#everything.#[p.#174]##
$$
The$author$continues$to$describe$the$ideal$form$of$administration$and$paves$the$road$for$
what$is$the$central$pillar$of$the$post-modern$management$paradigm:$teamwork.$
Considering$that$Leopold$Kohr$published$The$Breakdown$of$Nations$in$1957,$when$the$
orange$modern$management$paradigm$of$big$business,$large$corporations$and$rigid$top-
down$hierarchies$was$probably$at$its$climax,$we$can$understand$why$he$was$named$one$of$
the$most$original$political$thinkers$of$the$20th$century.$
#
Thus,#wherever#we#look#in#the#political#universe,#we#find#that#successful#social#organisms,#be#
they#empires,#federations,#states,#counties,#or#cities,#have#in#all#their#diversity#of#language,#
custom,#tradition,#and#system,#one,#and#only#one,#common#feature#–#the#small-cell#pattern.#
Permeating#everything,#it#is#applied#and#reapplied#in#unending#processes#of#division#and#sub-
division.#The#fascinating#secret#of#a#well-functioning#social#organism#seems#thus#to#lie#not#in#
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
its#overall#unity#but#in#its#structure,#maintained#in#health#by#the#life-preserving#mechanism#of#
division#operating#through#myriads#of#cell-splittings#and#rejuvenations#taking#place#under#the#
smooth#skin#of#an#apparently#unchanging#body.#Wherever,#because#of#age#or#bad#design,#this#
rejuvenating#process#of#subdivision#gives#way#to#the#calcifying#process#of#cell#unification,#the#
cells,#now#growing#behind#the#protection#of#their#hardened#frames#beyond#their#divinely#
allotted#limits,#begin,#as#in#cancer,#to#develop#those#hostile,#arrogant#great-power#complexes#
which#cannot#be#brought#to#an#end#until#the#infested#organism#is#either#devoured,#or#a#forceful#
operation#succeeds#in#restoring#the#small-cell#pattern.##[p.#191]#
#
It$is$probably$in$this$paragraph$that$Kohr$and$Chardin$move$closest$to$each$other.$The$
economist$and$political$scientist$Kohr$draws$on$a$biological$metaphor$and$describes$large$
political$entities$with$the$osmotic$model$as$calcified$organisms$which$have$developed$
political$cancer.$Chardin$interprets$increasing$complexity$as$the$axis$of$evolution$of$matter$
into$a$geosphere,$a$biosphere,$and$finally$into$consciousness$and$then$to$supreme$
consciousness$(the$Omega$Point).$He$explains$that$evolution$shifted$from$the$realm$of$
physics$into$chemistry$from$chemistry$into$biology,$and$from$biology$into$culture.$He$
describes$the$omega$point,$i.e.$the$breakdown$of$nations$in$Kohr’s$or$singularity$in$Ray$
Kurzweil’s$terminology,$as$a$final$destination$of$consciousness$evolution$and$explains$the$
turmoil$in$the$physical$world$thereby.$
$$
The#great#powers,#those#monsters#of#nationalism,#must#be#broken#up#and#replaced#by#small#
states;#for#as#perhaps#even#our#diplomats#will#eventually#be#able#to#understand,#only#small#
states#are#wise,#modest#and,#above#all,#weak#enough,#to#accept#an#authority#higher#than#their#
own.##
#
While$Kohr$is$not$outspoken$what$higher$authority$small$state$governments$will$accept$–$it$
could$be$both$the$authority$of$the$democratic$body$of$small$state$citizens$or$a$
transcendental$entity,$it$becomes$rather$clear$that$his$vision$is$very$much$aligned$with$
Chardin’s.$Two$thinkers$who$have$started$in$their$own$academic$field,$far$apart$from$each$
other,$recognize$human$power$concentration$as$the$central$problem$in$social$evolution.$
One$draws$on$osmotic$modelling$and$develops$a$theory$of$a$decentralized$organization,$the$
other$provides$a$metaphysical$explanation$for$why$creation$moves$through$culture$into$
organizations$of$increased$complexity.$
$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$–$Can$it$be$done?$$
$
Division#of#great#powers#is#essential.#Question#is#not:#Can#it#be#done,#but#how#can#it#be#done?#
Division#by#war.#Division#by#proportional#representation.#Federalization#of#great#powers.#
Prevention#of#reunification#of#small#states.#Can#the#great#powers#be#divided?#Will#Soviet#Russia#
and#the#United#States#accept#their#dissolution#merely#to#save#the#United#Nations?#Will#France,#
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
Italy,#Great#Britain,#or#Germany#ever#give#their#consent#to#their#own#liquidation#merely#
because#this#would#be#wise?#[p.#193]#
$
$
#
When$I$read$Kohr$the$first$time$in$2013,$Frederick$Laloux$had$not$yet$published$
Reinventing$Organizations.$Without$doubt,$both$Leopold$Kohr$and$Peter$Drucker$have$
influenced$Laloux$deeply,$and$I$am$inclined$to$see$a$scholarly$heritage$trickling$down$from$
Kohr’s$political$theory$into$Drucker’s$management$philosophy$and$further$down$into$
Laloux’s$Teal$organization$paradigm$of$self-management.$$
$
It$is$striking$that$both$authors$conclude$their$writing$with$the$dissolution$of$organizations.$
Laloux$predicts$the$possibility$of$corporate$organizational$evolution$to$a$stage$where$even$
Teal$organizations$dissolve$into$a$global$network$of$a$liquid$work$force.$Kohr$envisions$the$
dissolution$of$political$entities,$which$are$by$all$means$the$largest$human$organizations$
existing.$He$offers$two$avenues$to$liquidate$political$organizations:$war$and$division$
through$proportional$representation.$$
$
But#war#is#fortunately#not#the#only#means#by#which#great#powers#can#be#divided.#Engulfed#in#a#
swamp#of#infantile#emotionalism#and#attaching#phenomenal#value#to#the#fact#that#they#are#
big#and#mighty,#they#cannot#be#persuaded#to#execute#their#own#dissolution.#But,#being#
infantile#and#emotional,#they#can#be#tricked#into#it.#While#they#would#reject#their#division,#if#it#
were#presented#to#them#as#a#demand,#they#might#be#quite#willing#to#accept#it,#if#offered#to#
them#in#the#guise#of#a#gift.#This#gift#would#be:#proportional#representation#in#the#bodies#
governing#the#federal#union#of#which#they#form#part.#The#acceptance#of#this#offer#would#cause#
nothing#less#than#their#eventual#disappearance.#[p.#194]#
$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
It$is$at$this$point$that$Kohr’s$brilliant$analysis$turns$into$a$vision$which$at$least$back$in$the$
1950s$had$no$possibility$of$becoming$reality.$Kohr$knew$this$and$titles$chapter$eleven:$But#
will#it#be#done?$And$preempts$the$answer$to$his$question$in$self-irony$with$a$brief:$no.$
Chapter$eleven$consists$of$this$single$word.$He$goes$though$in$chapters$ten$and$twelve$at$
great$length$to$discuss$how$a$federation$of$states$could$look$like$in$Europe$or$the$US,$a$
federation$which$consists$of$small$states$which$emerge$along$cultural$borders$instead$of$
national$interests.$He$portrays$Switzerland$as$a$successful$federation$which$has$succeeded$
to$break$the$large$language$blocks$into$small$cantons$which$in$turn$champion$direct$
democracy$and$connectedness$between$political$representatives$and$citizens.$$
$
The#provincial#delegates#from#Normandy,#Picardy,#or#Pau#would#no#longer#meet#in#Paris#but#
in#a#new#federal#capital#city#that#may#develop#in#Strasbourg#or#elsewhere.#Being#the#capital#of#
a#larger#are#than#France,#they#would#meet#there#the#delegates#from#the#other#federally#
dissolved#regions#of#the#union.#While#there#might#still#be#a#lingering#of#traditional#unity#
amongst#the#groups#of#French-,#German-,#Italian-,#or#English-speaking#delegates#at#the#
beginning,#the#groundswell#of#regional#particularism#and#individualistic#difference#would#
soon#break#down#the#last#vestiges#of#the#present#great-power#blocks.$[…]$With#the#transfer#of#
the#basic#state#powers#from#the#nation#to#the#district,#the#districts#would#automatically#
become#the#true#sovereign#members#of#the#European#federation.$[p.$197,$198]$
$
$
$
Leopold$Kohr’s$vision,$as$ingenious$it$might$have$looked$in$1957$after$the$horrors$of$WWI$
and$WWII$and$in$the$outlook$of$the$US$becoming$a$gigantic$Empire,$lacks$the$perspective$of$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
a$social$psychologist$and$thus$like$Karl$Marx’s$concept$on$wealth$re-distribution$sufficient$
grounding$in$the$mechanics$of$human$nature.$The$last$chapter$also$makes$clear$that$Kohr’s$
focus$on$political$organization$did$blind$him$to$the$transformation$of$labor$markets$which$
other$contemporaries$have$observed.$$$
$
The$model$Switzerland$has$proofed$itself$successful$by$all$means$of$economic$
measurement,$but$it$has$done$so$to$a$large$extent$by$hosting$a$significant$number$of$MNC$
which$exploit$natural$and$human$resources.$It$is$also$highly$questionable$if$the$small-scale$
administrative$organization$of$Swiss$cantons$has$alienated$the$population$less$from$their$
ecosystems$than$in$other$countries.$A$simple$survey$would$most$likely$confirm$that$the$
average$Swiss$person$does$not$know$more$about$its$natural$environment$than$an$American$
citizen.$This$assumption$is$to$be$explained$with$the$transformation$of$labor$markets$and$
the$resulting$breakdown$of$communities.$
$
$
#
The$Breakdown$of$Communities$
$
It$was$German$sociologist$Ferdinand$Tönnies$who$used$the$terms$Gemeinschaft$and$
Gesellschaft$to$refer$to$the$distinction$between$societies$organized$on$the$basis$of$kinship$
and$tradition,$on$the$one$hand,$and$by$specialization$and$self-interest,$on$the$other.$As$
modern$societies$become$more$urban$and$industrial,$the$former$is$replaced$by$the$latter.$$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
The$resulting$psychological$phenomenon$was$described$by$French$sociologist$Emile$
Durkheim$as$Anomie,$a$concept$he$developed$in$his$groundbreaking$study$on$suicide,$
which$he$considered$to$be$the$most$severe$consequence$of$social$transformation.$
$
Anomie$is$usually$translated$as$normlessness,$but$it$best$understood$as$insufficient#
normative#regulation.$During$periods$of$rapid$social$change,$individuals$sometimes$
experience$alienation$from$group$goals$and$values.$They$lose$sight$of$their$shared$interests$
based$on$mutual$dependence.$In$this$condition,$they$are$less$constrained$by$group$norms.$
Normative$values$become$generalized,$rather$than$personally$embraced.$
$
Psychologist$Martin$Seligman,$the$founding$father$of$modern$positive$psychology,$writes$
that$most#of#the#developed#world,#is#experiencing#an#unprecedented#epidemic#of#depression#–#
particularly#among#young#people.#Why#is#it#that#in#a#nation#that#has#more#money,#more#
power,#more#records,#more#books,#and#more#education,#that#depression#should#be#so#much#
more#prevalent#than#it#was#when#the#nation#was#less#prosperous#and#less#powerful?##
$
He$concludes$with$his$own$definition$of$anomie:$Depression#is#a#disorder#of#the#“I”,#failing#in#
your#own#eyes#relative#to#your#goals.#In#a#society#in#which#individualism#is#becoming#rampant,#
people#more#and#more#believe#that#they#are#the#center#of#the#world.#Such#a#belief#system#
makes#individuals#failure#almost#inconsolable.#Individual#failure#used#to#be#buffered#by#the#
second#large#force,#the#large#“we”.#When#our#grandparents#failed,#they#had#comfortable#
spiritual#furniture#to#rest#in.#They#had,#for#the#most#part,#their#relationship#to#God,#their#
relationship#to#a#nation#they#loved,#their#relationship#to#a#community#and#a#large#extended#
family.#Faith#in#God,#community,#nation,#and#the#large#extended#family#have#all#eroded#in#the#
last#forty#years,#and#the#spiritual#furniture#that#we#used#to#sit#in#has#become#threadbare.##
$
Would$the$economist$Kohr$have$foreseen$the$accelerating$transformation$of$labor$markets$
in$the$second$half$of$the$20th$century,$he$might$have$seen$that$political$organization$alone$
can’t$give$people$the$necessary$normative$regulation$to$stay$sane$and$thus$support$as$
functioning$units$their$societies$to$remain$prosperous.$Man$needs$the$normative$regulation$
of$common$goals$and$group$attachment,$but$he$equally$needs$an$ikigai,$i.e.$the$intrinsic$
motivation$to$get$up$every$morning$and$continue$his$work.$$
$
Social$psychiatrist$Wilhelm$Reich$was$the$first$to$describe$in$his$seminal$book$The$Mass$
Psychology$of$Fascism,$that$work$is$an$instinct$as$is$hunger$and$sex.$Looking$into$the$
etiological$history$of$political$organizations,$we$learn$that$they$arose$in$most$industrialized$
nations$in$the$19th$century$as$a$response$to$changes$on$the$labor$market,$i.e.$in$response$to$
how$societies$organize$work.$$
$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
Western$industrialized$nations$started$their$political$organization$building$with$urban$
craftsman$and$small$business$owners,$a$social$group$of$moderate$wealth,$which$united$in$
Christian-conservative$parties$to$balance$the$power$of$landowners,$nobility$and$
industrialists.$Social-democratic$movements$evolved$as$an$answer$to$massive$urbanization$
in$the$second$half$of$the$19th$century$which$transformed$the$non-landowner$countryside$
population$into$a$city$working$class.$$
$
Political$organizations$are,$and$this$is$their$dilemma$in$the$21st$century,$essentially$about$
interest$groups$related$to$a$specific$participation$in$the$extraction$economy.$Rather$than$
what$we$contribute$towards$the$system$staying$sane$and$sound,$capitalism$has$conditioned$
us$to$extract$from$the$system$without$thinking$about$the$consequences.$System$theorists$
call$this$system$blindness$towards$externalities.$
$
This$is$in$particular$the$dilemma$of$green$parties,$which$can’t$unite$their$followers$in$the$
same$way$traditional$parties$do.$The$green$message$by$large$and$wide$is$to$be$mindful$of$
the$planetary$ecosystem,$but$instead$next$to$environmentalists$one$finds$subcultures$for$
disabled,$members$of$the$LGBT$community,$feminists$and$vegan$Tupperware$
fundamentalists$unite$under$Gaia’s$roof.$The$spectrum$of$green$voters$in$Europe$is$an$
amalgam$of$interest$groups$which$do$not$revolve$around$a$common$understanding$of$work$
like$traditional$political$organizations.$Work$is$a$very$basic$and$accessible$instinct,$
however,$the$green$movement$should$be$grouped$around$the$basic$instinct$of$survival,$
which$is$for$members$of$affluent$societies$not$accessible$and$remote.$$
$
$
$
Translating$Kohr$into$the$21st$Century$$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
$
Increasing$automation$and$computerization,$in$particular$the$recent$development$in$AI$
research,$will$lead$within$the$next$two$decades$to$a$total$collapse$of$our$labor$markets$as$
we$know$them;$in$particular$the$tertiary$sector$which$employees$up$to$80$percent$of$the$
work$force$in$industrialized$economies.$In$20$years$from$now,$we$will$live$in$societies$
where$most$menial$and$skilled$work$is$executed$by$robots$and$algorithms$and$a$majority$of$
people$are$either$without$job$or$self-employed,$if$we$were$not$to$transform$the$service$
sector$into$one$of$interpersonal$i.e.$health,$personal$care$or$education$and$ecological$
professions,$e.g.$park$rangers,$gardeners,$nature$guides,$litter$squads,$etc.$$
$
One$might$come$to$the$conclusion$that$Kohr’s$theory$of$size$is$correct,$but$his$conclusions$
about$how$to$solve$the$dissolution$of$nations$and$restructure$mankind$into$small$
administrative$units$is$if$not$wrong,$then$at$least$obsolete.$The$Breakdown$of$Nations$is$
nevertheless$an$important$piece$in$the$large$jigsaw$puzzle$of$understanding$into$what$
organizational$structure$humanity$will$transform$in$the$third$millennium$–$shall$it$not$
perish.$
$
Considering$that$we$spend$most$of$our$wake$time$in$work$or$work-like$activities$and$giving$
Jean$Baptiste$Voltaire$the$credit$for$these$wise$words,$“work#saves#a#man#from#three#great#
evils:#boredom,#vice#and#need”,$a$solution$towards$a$transformation$of$societies$away$from$
power$structures$towards$a$purpose$structure$lies$in$how$we$organize$and$reward$work,$
not$political$entities.$Emile$Durkheim$understood$this$part$of$human$nature$like$no$other$
and$provided$already$at$the$end$of$the$19th$century$a$pretty$accurate$outlook$on$how$
societies$will$be$shaped$at$the$end$of$the$Industrial$Revolution.$$
$
Whereas$Marx$saw$social$conflict$as$inherent$in$the$manner$in$which$labor$was$organized$
in$capitalist$societies,$Durkheim$believed$that$diminished$solidarity$was$a$pathological$
condition.$He$believed$that$modern$societies$would$need$to$develop$new$means$of$
reinforcing$social$norms$and$a$shared$sense$of$affiliation.$Drawing$on$Alexis$de$
Tocqueville's$analysis$of$American$society,$Durkheim$suggested$that$social$cohesion$could$
result$from$action$of$occupations$groups.$
Occupational$groups$could$replace$the$normative$functions$that$were$once$exercised$by$
institutions$such$as$religion,$local$community,$and$the$family.$Relations$between$
occupational$groups$would$be$economic,$and$in$the$sense$that$they$would$have$to$work$
together$to$reach$agreements$about$the$conditions$of$labor,$wages,$etc.,$relations$would$
also$be$political.$These$groups$would$function,$and$here$Durkheim$merges$with$Kohr’s$
train$of$thought,$like$political$parties.$$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
What$Durkheim$envisioned$as$occupational$groups$or$“interest$communities”$has$a$striking$
resemblance$with$the$Buddhist$concept$of$Sangha.$Sangha$is$a$Sanskrit$word$meaning$
"association",$"assembly",$"company"$or$"community".$It$was$historically$used$in$a$political$
context$to$denote$a$governing$assembly$in$a$republic$or$a$kingdom.$The$Sangha$is$the$third$
of$the$Three$Jewels$in$Buddhism$(the$other$two$being$Buddha$himself$as$lifeform$and$
Dharma$as$the$body$of$his$teachings),$which$denotes$a$community$of$human$beings$
following$the$teachings$of$Buddha$in$a$monastic-economic$community.$$
$
$
$$
The$Breakdown$of$the$Planet$$
$
It$has$been$discussed$that$Leopold$Kohr’s$vision$of$a$global$society$organized$in$small$
political$organizations$which$relates$to$the$territories$of$traditional$cultural$borders$is$
flawed.$The$organization$of$society$in$occupational$interest$groups$as$proposed$by$Emile$
Durkheim$has$been$considered$to$reflect$the$reality$of$motivational$psychology,$i.e.$that$
man$needs$work$to$stay$sane$and$prosper.$It$has$therefore$been$argued$that$the$
organization$of$work$will$be$decisive$in$how$we$organize$future$societies.$$$
$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
Kohr’s$approach$to$territorial$organization$is$nevertheless$not$to$be$entirely$disregarded.$
We$live$in$a$place$and$thus$we$have$an$interest$in$this$place.$Even$more$so,$it$was$the$place$
we$lived$in,$which$in$subsistence$cultures$provided$the$means$for$survival.$As$humanity$
evolves$away$from$tribes,$kingdoms,$and$Empires$towards$a$more$global$society,$our$local$
ecosystems$transform$into$a$single$global$ecosystem.$$
$
The$pollution$of$the$world’s$oceans$with$plastic$from$a$few$rivers$only,$the$rise$in$sea$
temperatures,$which$leads$to$the$extinction$of$coral,$global$warming$which$changes$
worldwide$precipitation$as$a$consequence,$all$these$phenomena$confirm$that$we$live$in$a$
single$ecosystem$and$thus$in$the$era$of$the$Anthropocene,$i.e.$an$era$where$the$impact$of$
human$action$on$the$planet$decides$over$the$survival$of$the$ecosystem$at$large.$$
$
The$American$environmentalist$Gary$Snyder$described$in$The$Practice$of$the$Wild$a$system$
of$ecological$organization$which$is$not$only$rooted$in$how$mankind$lived$for$most$of$its$
existence,$it$is$also$related$to$Kohr’s$territorial$principles.$Snyder$doesn’t$break$down$
nations,$he$builds$up$a$territory$which$sustains$survival.$Snyder$doesn’t$destroy$the$man$
devouring$machinery$of$nationalism$and$mercantilism,$he$builds$a$territory$of$human$scale$
which$focuses$on$survival.$Instead$of$moving$top$down,$he$moves$his$argument$step$by$step$
bottom$up.$$
$
We#experience#slums,#prairies,#and#wetlands#all#equally#as#“places”.#Like#a#mirror,#a#place#can#
hold#anything,#on#any#scale.#I#want#to#talk#about#place#as#an#experience#and#propose#a#model#
of#what#it#meant#to#“live#in#place”#for#most#of#human#time,#presenting#it#initially#in#terms#of#
the#steps#that#a#child#takes#growing#into#a#natural#community.#[p#27]#
$
The$anthropologist$Snyder$describes$the$firepit$like$a$human$development$psychologist$as$
a$place,$from$where$all$activity$started$in$a$tribe$or$family$until$modernity$bestowed$
electricity$and$central$heating$upon$us.$While$the$firepit$is$where$the$infant$and$toddler$
spends$most$of$its$time$until$age$three$under$the$protection$of$parents$and$elders,$the$child$
explores$the$commons,$i.e.$the$space$between$family$estates$and$ventures$as$adult$into$the$
bioregion.$The$bioregion$is$the$largest$extension$of$a$human$scale$territory$which$is$defined$
by$how$far$a$healthy$adult$can$reach$with$organic$means$of$transportation.$It$is$old$age$
which$reduces$one’s$reach$and$eventually$forces$elders$back$to$the$firepit,$where$birth$and$
death$coincide.$$
$
The#heart#of#a#place#is#the#home,#and#the#heart#of#the#home#is#the#firepit,#the#hearth.#All#
tentative#explorations#go#outward#form#there,#and#it#is#back#to#the#fireside#that#elders#return.#
[…]#As#you#grow#bolder#you#explore#your#world#outward#from#the#firepit#(which#is#the#center#
of#the#universe)#in#little#trips.#The#childhood#landscape#is#learned#on#foot,#and#a#map#is#
inscribed#in#the#mind#–#trails#and#pathways#and#groves#–#the#mean#dog,#the#cranky#old#man’s#
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
house,#the#pasture#with#a#bull#in#it#–#going#out#wider#and#farther.#All#of#us#carry#within#us#a#
picture#of#the#terrain#that#was#learned#roughly#between#the#ages#of#six#and#nine.#(It#could#as#
easily#be#an#urban#neighborhood#as#some#rural#scene.)#you#can#almost#totally#recall#the#place#
you#walked,#played,#biked,#swam.#Revisualizing#that#place#with#its#smells#and#textures,#
walking#through#it#again#in#your#imagination,#has#a#grounding#and#settling#effect.#As#a#
contemporary#though#we#might#also#wonder#how#it#is#for#those#whose#childhood#landscape#
was#being#ripped#up#by#bulldozers,#or#whose#family#moving#about#made#it#all#a#blur.#[p#28]##
#
$
$
The$commons$are$described$by$Snyder$as$different$from$the$public$domain$or$public$spaces$
as$we$know$them$from$urban$centers.$The$commons$might$be$something$like$outer$zones$
in$permaculture$design,$spaces$which$are$accessible$to$all,$where$resources$are$managed$
by$all$not$only$the$family$or$tribe.$It$is$important$to$understand$that$Snyder$believes$that$
our$ancestors$understood$the$carrying$capacity$of$the$commons$as$an$intricate$knowledge$
handed$down$from$generation$to$generation.$Modern$public$spaces$are$devoid$of$such$
ancient$lore.$$
$
The#commons#has#been#defined#as#“the#undivided#land#belonging#to#the#members#of#a#local#
community#as#a#whole.”#The#commons#is#a#contract#a#people#make#with#their#local#natural#
system.#The#loss#of#a#local#commons#heralds#the#end#of#self-sufficiency#and#signals#the#doom#of#
the#vernacular#culture#of#the#region.#The#commons#is#a#curious#and#elegant#social#institution#
within#which#human#beings#once#lived#free#political#lives#while#weaving#through#natural#
systems.#The#commons#is#a#level#of#organization#of#human#society#that#includes#the#
nonhuman.#The#level#above#the#local#commons#is#the#bioregion.#Understanding#the#commons#
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
and#its#role#within#the#larger#regional#culture#is#one#more#step#toward#integrating#ecology#
and#economy.#[p#33,#39,#40]#
#
Bioregions$are$territories$which$are$organized$along$natural$borders$of$ecosystems.$Snyder$
discusses$in$wonderful$prose$his$own$Pacific$Northwest$as$such$a$bioregion$being$
demarked$by$plants$like$the$costal$Douglas$Fir,$which$is$only$home$to$a$territory$of$a$
specific$climate$range.$It$is$this$unit$of$organization$which$comes$closest$to$Kohr’s$concept$
of$cultural$regions.$Kohr$looks$at$organization$according$to$human$cultural$boundaries,$
which$have$been$deformed$over$the$centuries$by$political$power$struggles.$Snyder$
integrates$human$culture$and$the$non-human$world$into$a$single$system$of$natural$
territories.$$
$
In#the#old#ways,#the#flora#and#fauna#and#landforms#are#part#of#the#culture.#The#world#of#
culture#and#nature,#which#is#actual,#is#almost#a#shadow#world#now,#and#the#insubstantial#
world#of#political#jurisdictions#and#rarefied#economies#is#what#passes#for#reality.#We#live#in#a#
backwards#time.#We#can#regain#some#small#sense#of#that#old#membership#by#discovering#the#
original#lineaments#of#our#land#and#steering#–#at#least#in#the#home#territory#and#in#the#mind#–#
by#those#rather#than#the#borders#of#arbitrary#nations,#states,#and#counties.#[p#40]#
#
I$cannot$say$how$much$I$agree$with$these$lines.$Growing$up$in$Austria,$in$a$city$which$lies$at$
the$intersection$of$three$bioregions,$I$wondered$already$as$a$child$where$I$belonged$to.$I$
certainly$did$feel$a$strange$disconnect$from$the$political$entity,$which$was$impressed$upon$
me.$An$early$and$-$at$that$time$of$the$cold$war$separation$between$East$and$West$-$$
extraordinary$desire$to$learn$Czech$was$an$expression$of$choosing$the$soft$hills$and$thick$
forests$of$the$Bohemian$Mass$over$the$naked$cliffs$and$deep$valleys$of$the$Alps$as$my$native$
bioregion.$I$chose$an$ecological$region$over$an$economic$one,$the$Bohemian$Mass$over$
West$European$capitalism.$It$was$nevertheless$the$political$entity$which$decided$over$my$
fate$as$subject$of$a$contemporary$form$of$social$organization.$Not$only$was$I$denied$
learning$Czech$by$local$school$authorities,$but$I$ended$up$leaving$my$homeland$for$good$
being$eternally$at$odds$with$its$unnatural$form$of$organization.$$
$
Snyder$reminds$us$that$bioregions$were$and$can$be$the$largest$possible$entities$to$organize$
human$activity$in$a$maximum$overlap$of$economy$and$ecology.$He$gently$draws$the$
borders$for$his$home$bioregion$by$applying$a$deep$understanding$of$the$local$ecosystem$
and$shows$how$big$the$disconnect$between$modern$culture$and$the$natural$world$has$
become.$If$we$are$to$reestablish$a$meaningful$connection$of$human$scale$between$each$one$
of$us$and$the$planet,$we$must$organize$ourselves$in$bioregions,$commons$and$firepits.$Only$
then$will$we$be$able$to$live$again$in$harmony$with$mother$Earth.$
#
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
Bioregional#awareness#teaches#us#in#specific#ways.#It#is#not#enough#just#to#“love#nature”#or#to#
want#to#be#in#“harmony#with#Gaia.”#Our#relation#to#the#natural#world#takes#place#in#a#place,#
and#it#must#be#grounded#in#information#and#experience.#For#example:#“real#people”#have#an#
easy#familiarity#with#the#local#plants.#This#is#so#unexceptional#a#kind#of#knowledge#that#
everyone#in#Europe,#Asia#and#Africa#used#to#take#it#for#granted.#Many#contemporary#
Americans#don’t#even#know#that#they#don’t#know#the#plants,#which#is#indeed#a#measure#of#
alienation.#[p#43]##
$
$
It$was$argued$earlier$that$political$organizations$are,$and$this$is$their$dilemma$in$the$21st$
century,$essentially$about$interest$groups$related$to$a$specific$participation$in$the$
extraction$economy.$Sadly,$400$years$of$capitalism$have$detached$economy$from$ecology,$
have$alienated$what$we$produce$and$consume$from$the$land$which$provides$us$for.$It$was$a$
student$of$Leopold$Kohr,$economist$and$Nobel$laureate$Ernst$F.$Schumacher$who$was$one$
of$the$first$modern$Western$thinkers$who$was$able$to$formulate$the$problem.$
$
The#illusion#of#unlimited#powers,#nourished#by#astonishing#scientific#and#technological#
achievements,#has#produced#the#concurrent#illusion#of#having#solved#the#problem#of#
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
production.#The#latter#illusion#is#based#on#the#failure#to#distinguish#between#income#and#
capital#where#this#distinction#matters#most.#Every#economist#and#businessman#is#familiar#with#
the#distinction,#and#applies#it#conscientiously#and#with#considerable#subtlety#to#all#economic#
affairs#–#except#where#it#really#matters:#namely,#the#irreplaceable#capital#which#man#has#not#
made,#but#simply#found,#and#without#which#he#can#do#nothing.##
#
If$we$are$not$to$believe$the$words$of$a$poet$and$anthropologist,$we$are$in$these$financial$
times$to$believe$a$Nobel$laureate$economist.$An$awareness$of$bioregions$must$be$urgently$
created,$and$the$commons$must$be$urgently$rebuilt.$It$is$only$through$smartly$structured$
attachment$to$the$land$that$we$learn$how$to$deal$with$the$planet.$Interestingly$the$Greek$
root$of$economy,$does$mean$exactly$this:$οικος$[oikos],$the$house$and$νομος$[nomos],$the$
law,$make$up$economy$as$the$law$ruling$a$house.$Economy$should$have$always$been$a$law$
which$governs$our$ecosystems$since$they$are$the$house,$we$are$living$in.$Somewhere$along$
the$way$of$modernization$we$forgot$that$it$is$not$only$“Home$Sweet$Home”$where$this$law$
applies,$but$on$the$planet$at$large.$$
$
$
The$documentary$Demain$by$French$environmental$activist$and$filmmaker$Cyril$Dion$
showed$in$2015$that$people$around$the$globe$work$towards$such$a$solution.$There$are$
community$gardens$in$England,$the$US,$permaculture$initiatives$in$France$and$Germany.$All$
these$initiatives$start$from$the$firepit$and$sometimes$they$create$commons,$but$rarely$ever$
I$encounter$genuine$bioregional$awareness.$We$miss$an$organized$method$rooted$in$the$
natural$structure$of$this$planet$to$approach$the$transformation$of$an$economic$system$
detached$from$the$ecological$system$towards$an$integrated$solution$which$can$be$globally$
scaled.$$
$
The$Land,$the$Resurrection$of$Communities$and$appropriate$Technology$
$
System'Transformation
3/5/20 2017'©'telospi.c om 61
Transformation
v400'years'of'capitalism
v250'years'of'industrial'
revolution
vFocus'on'material'and'
individual''growth
Extracting*value*from*
people*and*planet
vPost-materialism
v250'years'of'
consciousness'
revolution
vFocus'on'spiritual'and'
collective'growth
Adding*value*to*people*
and*planet
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
Gary$Snyder’s$bioregional$movement$could$be$a$blueprint$towards$such$a$solution.$At$least$
we$would$get$the$best$possible$map$of$how$to$divide$the$world$into$the$small$units$Leopold$
Kohr$envisioned$without$understanding$the$ecological$laws$of$the$territories$he$described.$
Having$such$a$map,$communities$which$inhabit$these$bioregions$can$self-organize$with$
tools$to$scale$their$impact$to$such$an$extent$that$this$new$form$of$how$to$structure$human$
activity$attached$to$a$human$scale$ecosystem$constitutes$a$viable$challenge$for$the$existing$
system$of$exploiting$planet$and$people.$$
$
It$is$a$bit$of$a$malady$that$visionary$and$dedicated$people$often$exclude$certain$aspects$of$
creation$only$to$strengthen$their$own$line$of$thought,$action$and$identity.$But$as$
philosopher$David$R.$Precht$famously$wrote:$How#am#I,#and#if#yes#how#many?$It$is$indeed$a$
problem$of$culture$and$values,$a$question$of$creating$and$staying$within$the$tribe$we$belong$
to,$which$prevents$us$to$arrive$at$an$integrated$solution$of$how$to$merge$ecology$and$
economy.$$
$
When$I$talk$to$vegans$nowadays,$I$often$detect$that$they$turn$this$diet$choice$into$a$
religion-like$attitude$and$consider$all$other$diet-choices$as$wrong.$They$don’t$hesitate$to$
tell$you$so,$which$makes$conversations$usually$rather$brief.$It$also$seems$that$they$zoom$in$
on$the$subject$of$diet$to$such$a$degree$that$they$often$don’t$realize$what$is$important$apart$
from$what$I$eat.$Permaculture$activists$on$the$other$hand$focus$so$much$on$the$land$that$
they$forget$about$the$people$and$what$it$takes$to$create$lasting$communities.$Stewardship$
of$the$land$is$impossible$without$a$strong$community.$Permaculture$seems$to$have$failed$to$
perceive$people$as$an$equally$valuable$resource$as$the$planet.$$
$
I$pick$these$groups$because$they$have$a$point$in$emphasizing$food$consumption$and$food$
production$as$central$subjects$to$which$man$needs$to$find$sustainable$solution.$Somehow$
these$singular$solutions$seem$though$to$be$a$dead$end.$Otherwise$it$can’t$be$explained$why$
neither$permaculture$nor$veganism$did$not$transform$our$societies$to$the$extent$it$is$
needed$to$keep$this$global$house$in$operation.$
$
Planet$Drum$on$the$other$hand$seems$to$not$incorporate$technology$as$a$vehicle$to$forge$
new$pathways.$It$was$founded$in$1973$to$provide$an$effective$grassroots$approach$to$
ecology$that$emphasizes$sustainability,$community$self-determination$and$regional$self-
reliance.$In$association$with$community$activists$and$ecologists,$Planet$Drum$developed$
the$concept$of$a$bioregion$and$encourages$local$organizations$and$individuals$to$find$
sustainable$ways$to$live$within$the$natural$confines$of$bioregions.$Planet$Drum$is$an$
organization$with$the$right$mission,$but$without$appropriate$tools.$$
$
All$of$the$above$reminds$of$the$big$history$project,$which$breaks$down$evolution$in$
complexity$thresholds.$We$seem$to$have$mastered$collective$learning,$agriculture$and$the$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
industrial$revolution$is$still$under$way,$but$how$are$we$supposed$to$get$through$the$
bottleneck$where$we$are$currently$stuck?$My$best$guess$is$the$integration$of$collective$
learning,$best$practice$agriculture$and$community$strengthening$architecture$with$a$
technology$that$enables$a$decentralized$small-cell$economy$of$global$reach.$$
$
$
$
Neither$Kohr,$nor$Schumacher,$nor$Mollison$or$Chardin$did$know$that$such$a$technology$
would$emerge$at$the$beginning$of$the$21st$century$under$the$name$blockchain.$Blockchain$
has$without$doubt$brought$upon$the$planet$since$its$invention$more$harm$than$good.$
Mining$rigs$drill$for$bitcoin$and$waste$enormous$amounts$of$energy$24/7$to$produce$a$
proof$of$work$and$create$abundance$for$a$few$and$scarcity$for$many$at$the$expense$of$the$
planet.$$
$
Bitcoin$holds$a$mirror$into$our$face,$no$matter$whether$Satoshi$Nakamoto$designed$the$
currency$deliberately$being$pegged$to$electricity$or$not.$Its$inception$and$rapid$
proliferation$accelerate$our$financial$systems,$shortens$the$life$cycle$of$currencies,$puts$
enormous$pressure$on$both$natural$resources$and$energy$generation$infrastructure$and$
shows$without$mercy$that$we$have$designed$our$societies$on$the$basis$of$scarcity,$
ignorance,$competition$and$greed.$With$an$increasing$number$of$Bitcoin$users,$the$negative$
impact$on$our$planet$grows$exponentially$since$the$mechanics$of$the$system$motivate$more$
and$more$people$to$lift$themselves$into$a$higher$economic$status,$which$in$return$requires$
more$resources:$impact$=$resources$*$economic$status$*$population$(i$=$r$*$e$*$p).$
$
It$is$in$under$this$threat$of$extinction$that$humanity$can$manage$a$turnaround$and$renew$
itself$from$the$very$core.$It$is$by$finding$a$common$denominator$in$our$survival$through$
which$we$can$understand$that$only$a$transformation$of$our$very$own$self$towards$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
compassion,$charity$and$cooperation$will$result$in$abundance$for$all.$Blockchain$for$social$
good$can$provide$the$technological$frame$to$establish$a$fair$economy,$bioregions$will$
provide$for$the$physical$frame$to$organize$communities$of$human$scale$and$in$deep$
connection$with$the$natural$world.$$
$
The$Breakdown$of$Technology$$
$
Technology#is#not#inherently#good#or#bad#until#its#wielded#by#corporations#for#mass#
consumption,$writes$psychologist$and$game$addiction$expert$Adam$Alter$in$Irresistible$–$
Why$you$are$addicted$to$technology$and$how$to$set$yourself$free.$Distributed$ledger$
technology$(DLT)$is$a$game$changer$which$establishes$grass$root$initiatives$as$third$player$
next$to$corporations$and$governments$and$empowers$them$to$charge$economic$systems$
whether$local$or$global$with$value$generation$instead$of$nihilist$profit$extraction$or$power$
accumulation.$
$
Technology$researchers$Sarah$Manski$and$Michel$Bauwens$recently$published$an$article$
about$socio-technical$economics$and$analyze$the$status$quo$and$possible$developments$of$
distributed$ledger$technology$applications,$i.e.$blockchain.$It$has$been$argued$in$the$above$
paragraphs$that$a$global$contribution$economy$requires$a$deep$rootedness$in$the$physical$
world$in$order$to$divide$human$activity$in$the$small$cell$patterns,$which$Gary$Snyder$called$
firepit,$commons$and$bioregion.$Without$such$a$rootedness$in$the$natural$world,$all$our$
solutions$of$reorganizing$the$economy$in$the$cyberspace$are$futile.$Yet,$it$appears$that$all$
systems$which$Manski$and$Bauwens$describe$are$devoid$of$such$an$anchor:$
$
Blockchains#are#a#form#of#distributed#ledger#technology#created#to#provide#a#secure#and#valid#
distributed#consensus#across#one#universal#chain#of#blocks.#Post-blockchains#do#not#rely#on#a#
single#chain#of#blocks#and#may#have#multiple#chains.#[…]#Over#the#last#decade,#commons-
centric#economic#models,#including#both#open#source#communities#and#urban#commons#have#
steadily#increased#in#number.#In#one#study,#the#P2P#Value#research#project#examined#300#peer#
production#projects#that#are#using,#prototyping,#or#experimenting#with#contributive#
accounting.#Contributive#accounting#replaces#the#accounting#of#hourly#labor#as#a#measure#of#
value#with#open#production#communities#that#attempt#to#recognize#all#manner#of#
contributory#behavior#in#their#value#accounting.#To#achieve#this#alternative#accounting#
system,#DLTs,#game#theory#and#cryptography#are#being#combined#to#create#scalable#[virtual]#
ecosystems#that#encourage#contributions#by#community#members.#[p#2]#
$
The$authors$argue$that$capitalism$produces$the$ecological$conditions$of$its$own$decline$
through$the$exploitation$of$its$ecological$resource$base,$causing$progressive$ecological$
crises$and$cite$Bellamy$Foster’s$absolute$general$law$of$environmental$degradation$under$
capitalism$which$was$derived$from$Karl$Marx’s$absolute$general$law$of$capitalist$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
accumulation.$However,$all$discussed$value-added$accounting$initiatives$are$devoid$of$an$
inclusion$of$exactly$this$resource$base$in$a$structured$and$global$system.$Instead,$it$seems$
that$we$experience$another$wave$of$competition$between$value$added$ideologies,$which$
lack$the$traction$and$focus$to$create$transformative$global$impact.$$
$
Isn’t$this$absurd?$We$have$not$even$finished$to$go$through$a$period$of$capitalist$
competition$and$the$people$who$want$to$do$good$have$already$started$to$compete$against$
each$other?$Aldous$Huxley$was$right$after$all,$when$he$wrote$in$his$essay$The$Politics$of$
Ecology$that$people,$not$matter$by$what$they$are$motivated$on$the$surface,$are$if$not$driven$
by$power$then$at$least$incapable$of$integrating$other$worldviews.$
$
Psychologist$Jane$Lowinger$has$provided$interesting$research$about$ego$development$
stages.$I$don’t$want$to$go$here$into$details,$but$it$can$be$argued$that$an$agreement$on$a$
cosmo-local$eco-socio-technical$infrastructure$needs$to$be$pioneered$by$a$group$of$people$
who$are$able$to$transcend$ideologies$and$define$survival$of$the$biosphere$in$its$current$
condition$as$priority.$It$is$clear$that$these$people$do$not$sit$in$the$corporations$or$
governments$which$now$wield$all$power$to$shape$our$economic$systems.$Quite$on$the$
contrary,$psychologist$Katy Cook, author$of$The$Psychology$of$Silicon$Valley:$Ethical$
Threats$and$Emotional$Unintelligence$in$the$Tech$Industry,$explained$that$we$have$an$
artificially$high$concentration$of$emotional$jerks$in$the$offices$of$tech$giants$[and$
governments].$It$was$back$in$1991$that$Bret$Easton$Ellis$created$with$American$Psycho$a$
character$which$is$emblematic$for$what$kind$of$people$drive$Wall$Street.$We$slowly$realize$
that$we$have$given$similar$people$the$power$to$design$our$21st$century$societies$on$Sand$
Hill$Road.$
$
$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
$
Manski$and$Bauwens$have$developed$a$four-sector$model$to$provide$an$overview$of$all$DLT$
applications,$which$helps$to$understand$the$motivation$of$technology$players$and$why$both$
corporate$and$regime$initiatives$remain$more$impactful$than$utopian$changemakers.$They$
separate$extraction$economies$from$contribution$economies$on$a$horizontal$axis$and$global$
vs$local$economies$on$a$vertical$axis.$This$leads$them$to$divide$centrally$owned$and$
controlled$platforms$like$wechat,$facebook$or$Uber$from$distributed$capitalist$systems$like$
bitcoin.$They$call$the$first$Leviathan$to$underline$the$surveillance,$control$and$manipulative$
impact$on$human$behavior.$I$would$like$to$add$to$this$that$Leviathan$systems$are$power$
motivated$as$described$by$the$founder$of$individual$psychology,$Alfred$Adler.$$
$
Distributed$capitalist$systems$using$DLT$are$labelled$by$the$authors$as$Mammon,$because$
they$are$designed$and$invite$to$extract$profit$from$the$global$ecosystem$and$destroy$the$
planet$with$an$unprecedented$scale$of$system$blindness$as$I$have$described$in$my$paper$on$
the$manufacturing$industry$behind$bitcoin.$One$could$argue$that$Mammon$DLTs$are$
motivated$by$Freudian$pleasure$seeking$since$using$these$systems$implies$a$pretty$clear$
statement$about$nihilist$individualism.$
$
The$right$upper$and$lower$sectors$represent$contribution$economies$or$value$adding$
systems$which$only$differ$in$their$territorial$extension.$They$are$both$labelled$Gaia$by$the$
authors.$Localized$commons$establish$provisioning$of$different$resources$within$a$limited$
territorial$context.$The$abbreviation$SLOC$highlights$the$four$guiding$aspects$of$small,$local,$
open$and$connected.$Such$DLT$applications$are$usually$found$in$cities$and$emphasize$the$
community$dimension$of$the$project.$Global$commons$use$DLT$to$create$global$common$
goods$and$are$organized$beyond$the$local.$All$Gaia$DLTs$can$be$characterized$by$Viktor$
Frankl’s$logotherapy,$which$emphasizes$the$human$need$for$meaning$and$contribution.$
$
Despite$any$of$the$described$Gaia$initiatives$being$based$on$a$structured$and$global$system$
of$dividing$the$planet$into$bioregions,$the$authors$stress$the$importance$of$the$commons,$
i.e.#shared#resources#self-managed#by#their#stakeholder#communities,#as#an#ancient#practice#
and#a#vital#necessity#in#any#current#social#and#ecological#transition.$It$is$the$commons$where$
cyberspace$technologists,$grass$root$communities$and$indigenous$subsistence$cultures$
literally$find$their$common$ground.$$
$
However,$an$agreement$on$how$to$connect$the$local$and$physical$commons$of$our$planet,$
i.e.$the$land$and$its$natural$resources,$with$the$global$and$virtual$commons$of$education,$
knowledge$and$economic$exchange$is$still$missing.$The$authors$conclude$their$paper$as$
such:$To$accomplish$this$transition,$we$will$need$to$develop$new$ways$to$recognize$
intrinsic$human$and$ecological$value.$Sounds$we$are$still$far$away$from$a$solution$which$we$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
need$so$urgently.$The$third$point$of$below$definition$of$the$commons$as$proposed$by$the$
authors$gives$a$hint$why:$
$
The#“commons”#is#a#concept#that#is#deeply#rooted#in#human#history,#and#commons-based#
technology#include:#the#free/open#source#software#movement;#the#free#culture#movement;#
open#hardware;#open#access#to#education#and#science;#physical#production#through#open#
design;#hacker/maker#spaces#and#Fablabs;#and#the#sharing/solidarity#economy.#The#purpose#
of#our#essay#is#to#describe#an#emerging#value#accounting#socio-technical#infrastructure#that#is#
centered#around#“shared#resources”#(i.e.,#“commons”)#that#aims#to#solve#to#inter-linked#
structural#crises#facing#our#current#political#economy.#We#define#the#commons#as#being:#
1)#a#shared#resource#(hence#a#common#“social#object”);#2)#the#activity#of#collectively#creating#
or#maintaining#that#resource,#i.e.,#a#human#choice#and#activity;#3)#a#management#of#that#
resource#according#to#the#own#rules#and#norms#of#that#community#(auto-normativity).#
#
Commons$are$understood$by$the$authors$as$auto-normative,$i.e.$entirely$localized$and$
disconnected$from$other$communities$and$in$the$worst$case$from$nature$or$in$the$form$of$a$
scary$cult$which$does$not$respect$different$cultures.$Gary$Snyder$teaches$us$derived$from$
the$wisdom$of$indigenous$cultures$that$the$commons$have$an$inherent$carrying$capacity$
and$are$as$such$a$small$cell$pattern$within$a$bioregion$and$the$planet$at$large.$They$are$
governed$by$the$laws$of$nature$in$the$same$way$the$human$body$and$the$planetary$body$
are.$Auto-normativity$is$therefore$a$reflection$of$the$widely$present$post-modern$and$green$
pluralistic$worldview,$a$worldview$which$will$not$enable$humanity$to$transform$as$a$
whole.$We$need$an$alignment$of$local$communities$–$in$the$right$upper$quadrant$-$not$a$
competition$between$their$ideologies$and$value$systems.$$
$
Manski$and$Bauwens$ask,$what$kind$of$socio-technical$infrastructure$we$would$need$to$
implement$the$global$possibility$of$a$socially$just,$and$ecological$stable$cosmo-local$
production$infrastructure.$Their$analysis$of$the$structural$crises$we$face$as$humanity$sheds$
light$on$a$possible$answer.$They$identify$an$ecological$crisis,$a$social$crisis$and$a$third$crisis$
in$the$need$to$share$the$knowledge$which$can$solve$the$former$two.$What$we$face$is$
therefore$a$distribution$bottleneck$of$education,$or$as$I$like$to$put$it:$learning$what$matters$
in$the$Anthropocene.$$
$
The$Breakdown$of$Education$
$
Philosopher$Martin$Buber$once$said$that$the#real#struggle#is#not#between#East#and#West,#or#
capitalism#and#communism,#but#between#education#and#propaganda.$His$words$were$true$in$
the$20th$century$as$they$are$now.$If$survival$is$the$ultimate$goal$of$education,$and$beyond$
that$the$unfolding$of$human$potential$and$thus$individual$and$social$wellbeing,$we$need$to$
rethink$what$we$teach$and$how$we$distribute$our$teachings.$$$$
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
$
We$believe$at$Green$Steps$that$a$radical$shift$from$a$STEM$focus$towards$ecology$and$
empathy$is$needed$now.$We$need$to$teach$our$children$how$to$deal$with$the$land$
responsibly$and$how$to$interact$with$each$other$kindly.$We$need$to$move$away$from$
competition$and$towards$collaboration.$The$last$few$hundred$years$have$been$a$probably$
necessary$anomaly$to$arrive$where$we$are$now,$but$it$is$time$to$formalize$again$our$
knowledge$about$mores$and$plants,$spirits$and$animals.$This$time$in$a$global$curriculum$of$
cultural$best$practices.$$
$
$
$
While$distributed$value$accounting$of$all$human$activity$is$a$tempting$extrinsic$motivation,$
we$hope$that$a$good$early$childhood$education$strengthens$intrinsic$motivation$for$a$life$
with$purpose$to$such$an$extent$that$distributed$value$accounting$is$not$needed$beyond$
education.$A$shift$of$standardized$education$towards$ecological,$interpersonal$and$
intrapersonal$intelligence$is$sufficient$to$bring$about$lasting$system$transformation$
towards$a$contribution$economy.$DLT$solutions$which$create$in$the$name$of$social$or$
ecological$good$a$Leviathan$like$environment$of$total$control$can’t$be$the$way$forward.$$
$
We$envision$the$Green$Steps$ARK$as$a$global$commons$which$is$provided$by$our$small$
organization$and$fed$by$a$global$community$of$local$Nature$Guides$as$an$open$knowledge$
base$for$virtual$and$physical$requirements$of$best$practice$ecological,$intra-$and$
interpersonal$education.$None$can$happen$without$the$other.$The$ARK$applies$distributed$
ledger$technology$to$track$continuous$learning$progress$and$facilitation$experience$of$
informal formal
preneolithic neolithic scientific industrial
Post-industrial
A Brief History of Learning,
Education and Personal Growth
Formal:
Ecology
Empathy
Informal:
Everything
else
© greensteps.com.cn
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
Nature$Guides,$mentors$and$coaches.$It$does$so$within$the$physical$space$of$Nature$
Learning$Communities$which$are$distributed$across$the$globe$and$embedded$in$the$natural$
structure$of$the$physical$world.$$
$
It$needs$to$be$emphasized$over$and$over$again$that$it$is$this$rootedness$in$the$physical$
structure$of$our$planet$which$will$gradually$and$lastingly$reconnect$humanity$with$Mother$
Earth.$Would$Nature$Learning$Communities$follow$cultural$or$national$borderlines$no$such$
incremental$learning$outcome$can$happen$through$a$socio-technical$infrastructure$only.$
What$is$needed$is$an$eco-socio-technical$infrastructure,$i.e.$a$combination$of$land,$people$
and$technology$in$a$single$system.$Joint$values$and$an$increasingly$similar$global$culture$as$
opposed$to$the$local$characteristics$related$to$the$specific$ecosystem$will$be$the$natural$
consequence.$
$
$
$
*$
$ $
The$Breakdown$of$Nations$ $ $
www.greensteps.com.cn$©$2020$
Further$Reading$and$Watching:$
$
§ Leopold$Kohr:$The$Breakdown$of$Nations$
§ Pierre$Theilhard$de$Chardin:$Evolution’s$Meaning$and$Objective$
§ Frederick$Laloux:$Reinventing$Organizations$
§ Ferdinand$Tönnies:$Community$and$Society$
§ Emile$Durkheim:$Suicide$
§ Wilhelm$Reich:$The$Mass$Psychology$of$Fascism$
§ Timothy$Shortell:$Durkheim’s$Theory$of$Social$Class$
§ On$Sanghas:$https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sangha$$$
§ Martin$Ford:$The$Rise$of$the$Robots$
§ Gary$Snyder:$The$Practice$of$the$Wild$
§ Ernst$F.$Schumacher:$Small$is$Beautiful$
§ Britannica$Films:$Man$and$his$Culture$
§ Big$History$Project:$The$Modern$Revolution$
§ Adam$Alter:$Irresistible$–$Why$you$are$addicted$to$technology$and$how$to$set$
yourself$free.$$
§ Jenny$Anderson:$How$can$we$act$for$a$regenerative$future?$
§ Sarah$Manski,$Michael$Bauwens:$Reimagining$New$Socio-Technical$Economics$
Through$the$Application$of$Distributed$Ledger$Technologies$
§ Permarchar:$How$do$achieve$a$federation$of$bioregions?$$
§ Knut$K.$Wimberger:$On$the$Manufacturing$Industry$Behind$Bitcoin$
§ Viktor$E.$Frankl:$Man’s$Search$for$Meaning.$$
§ Aldous$Huxley:$The$Politics$of$Ecology$
§ Katy$Cook:$The$Psychology$of$Silicon$Valley:$Ethical$Threats$and$Emotional$
Unintelligence$in$the$Tech$Industry$