The document discusses the interplay between Catholic Social Doctrine and open technologies, emphasizing that software plays a crucial role in various aspects of the economy and society. It highlights the potential of open source software and technologies to promote cooperation, fight poverty, and support the common good while maintaining affordability and adaptability. The author argues that these technologies align well with the principles of Catholic social teaching, providing new avenues for implementation without challenging its core tenets.

1. Marco Fioretti (marco@digifreedom.net) 2013/04/05 St. Thomas School of Law
http://mfioretti.com Minneapolis
http://stop.zona-m.net Some Rights Reserved
Catholic Social Doctrine
and the
Openness Revolution:
Natural Travel Companions?
by Marco Fioretti
http://mfioretti.com

2. Catholic Social Doctrine in 1 tag cloud

3. Nature and Role of Software
Software is not a stand-alone industry or set of tools, but
something that:
makes every other “physical” economic activity work,
from agriculture to space travel
runs every service used by humankind, from mere
bureaucracy to healthcare, education, tourism,
lotteries...
has an exclusive mandate to package and access in
digital format every kind of information we need to live

4. Software is eating the World: finance
High Frequency
Trading
transactions made
entirely by software,
in milliseconds
of the same stocks
in your pension
fund

5. Software is eating the World: car mechanics
“You can't choose where you service your car”
“Dealership repairs average 34% more than at
independent repair shops”
“Independent technicians have an increasingly difficult job
because big car companies hide information through
software”
Modern cars contains so much software that we lost our:

6. Software is eating the World: medicine

7. Software is eating the World: legal work
“1 lawyer with
Blackstone discovery
software
=
500 paralegals doing
the same research
manually”

8. Software is eating the World: copyright
exclusive mandate to
“package
and access information”
=
“control of the right to copy”
software is legislation

9. Free/Open Source Software (FOSS): software
developed encouraging sharing, redistribution,
modification and reuse
FOSS-like practices + the Internet have made it
both possible and affordable to create many
other kinds of “Open”
What (open) software has made possible

10. Open Education
“Education is, quite simply, peace-
building by another name. It is the
most effective form of defense spending
there is.” Kofi Annan

11. Open (Precision) Agriculture
Open (DIY) Drones that only monitor
and fight weeds
Open Hydroponics systems controlled by open HW like
Arduino => fresh produce even in slums?

12. Open Manufacturing
DIY Tractor and Brick Press: 2 of the 50 machines
with open designs downloadable from
opensourceecology.org

13. Open Manufacturing: 3D Printing
3D printer:
creates 3D objects, drop by drop
small, Open-Source machinery ( from
100 USD
makes low volumes affordable
3Dprinting for Development
1 person fishing boat, 3d-printed
from recycled plastic

14. Open “Appropriate Technology”

15. Open mapping
The Gaza Strip basically doesn't exist in Google Maps.
Ambulance drivers only reach people in need quickly
thanks to the work of OpenStreetMap volunteers

16. Global access to “state-of-the-art, 1st world technology”?
Historically, it has never been a problem... in the wrong
ways, for the wrong reasons. Today...
Afghan tribal gunsmiths Congolese home
made rifle
Afghan tribal gunsmiths Child soldiers

17. Today, Open Technologies...
Are still in their infancy, with much to improve, but...
Have huge potential to fight poverty and exclusion
Are only possible because of:
Software
Non-proprietary licenses (“copyleft”)
No patents
Cooperation and distribution through the Internet
Globalization, done right?

18. Characteristics of Open technologies
Legally adaptable to local, very diverse, real needs
Without permission, at the smallest possible cost
Perfect for decentralized work
Need and encourage cooperation, voluntary work
Support the common good of all their users
While profit is not excluded, it is never the main driver
Means of production belong to all users

19. Shall we look at that tag cloud again?

20. Open Tech and CST
Open Technologies
prove the modernity of the Church message
do not change nor challenge orthodox CST
they just make easier to put it in practice
Catholics have even more reason than others
to promote, teach and use them

21. Marco Fioretti
www.eleutheros.org
http://mfioretti.com
http://stop.zona-m.net
marco@digifreedom.net
Further reading and contact info