Re: Social punishment 1/3: law without enforcers

[rishab@dxm.ernet.in (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh)]

blancw@pylon.com writes (in private mail):

> than can present law enforcement  systems. My next post will 
> examine the similarities between tribal and  cyberspatial 
> society.
> ........................................................
> 
> I don't know yet what you are going to say about the 
> similarities between tribal & cyberspatial societies, but one 

I guessed as much ;)

> same category.   The associations which occur in cyberspace are 
> not like the ones which occur in the physical plane.  The 
> expectations are different -  you don't expect to live with 
> these other people in close proximity, you don't expect to 
> identify with them as a group in the same way, you are not 
> going to get the same benefits on a daily basis or even an 
> extended time period, as you might from those with whom you 
> interact on more than one level or kind of contact.  I 
> personally don't see interactions in cyberspace as constituting 
> a 'society', even if they are 'social'. 

> Maybe a drive-by society.  

Well, as I put it, the primary characteristic of tribe (versus city) has been
portrayed as _physical_ proximity. I would say the more relevant
characteristic is _mental_ proximity, or _social_ proximity, if you accept my
classification of tribes and cyberspace as 'communication societies'.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rishab Aiyer Ghosh             "Clean the air! clean the sky! wash the wind!
rishab@dxm.ernet.in                   take stone from stone and wash them..."
Voice/Fax/Data +91 11 6853410  
Voicemail +91 11 3760335                 H 34C Saket, New Delhi 110017, INDIA