Open Source Theory .01

Abstract

This paper attempts to introduce the idea of an Open Source theory of human behavior; a theory emerging out of the capabilities and possibilities offered to humans through activities on the Internet. The Internet offers new types of connections and links between distributed human thinking that can transcend traditional boundaries and hierarchies. Open Source activities began in limited hacker/programming communities, the most famous of which is the Linux development project. These communities began to develop activity trajectories and ethical perspectives that stretched beyond programming—including the importance of sharing information early and often and inviting participants to be co-owners in the developing project. Open Source theory has the potential to play a role in our understanding of the evolution of the human mind as a separate, uniquely human phenomenon, acting as a counterweight to the more biologically oriented explanations offered by much of evolutionary psychology.