For those confused by the item which follows, let me offer a review of the terms I’m using: (This is a college classroom in 1968, during the last Generational Crisis in America’s political history.)
Political Thesis — A set of myths, values, or assumptions that answer a crisis with power. This Thesis informs majority opinion for the rest of its working life. An example is the "FDR" myth embraced by the "Greatest Generation" until the late 1960s.
Crisis — An issue or set of issues that so threatens the American order that it demands a new set of assumptions in order to deal with it. The 1960s were such a crisis. So was the Great Depression. So was the Civil War.
Anti-Thesis — A set of myths, values or assumptions that lean against the Thesis. Usually they’re an attempt to narrow the Thesis meaning, a "yeah-but" political philosophy assumed by a minority during a generation. Examples include the Clinton "Third Way," and Eisenhower Republicanism.
Excess — A period where the old Political Thesis is dominant, where it reaches its climax and height of power, but where it becomes evident that it is no longer relevant. We currently live in a time of excess, following the Nixon Theses (balance of power, enemies all around, American military dominance) at a time where the conditions leading to that Thesis are a full generation old.
Let’s put all this together:
A Thesis explains a Crisis, an Anti-Thesis rises to challenge this and fails, then an Excess leads to a new Crisis for the next generation.
The year 1968 and Nixon’s election were 38 years ago. We live in a
period of Excess where a new Crisis is building, which will demand of
us a new Thesis.
In this case, I submit, the Open Source Thesis. The values of the Internet, and of open source business, are needed to meet the environmental-energy Crisis the current Excess is ignoring.
