[ICTs-and-Society] Meeting on Project Cybersyn and socialist planning

[Bruce Robinson]

Meeting on Project Cybersyn next Monday at Instituto Cervantes, 
Deansgate, Manchester at 7pm. Blurb below. Also see: 
https://www.facebook.com/events/1415698718646414/?previousaction=join&ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular&source=1


The Socialist President Salvadore Allende was elected to power in Chile 
in 1970, and embarked upon a series of radical reforms to Chilean 
society and the economy. As an alternative to a Soviet style 'centrally 
planned' economy, Allende's government instead looked for another route 
through which to replace the market.

At the heart of this strategy was Project Cybersyn, a prototype internet 
system designed to link together the needs of the economy via 'central 
nervous system'. A radical experiment in grass-roots networking, 
Cybersyn aimed to directly involve workers at all levels of production 
and distribution in the organic management of the economy.

Speaking at this event will be Nathan Coombs (Research Fellow at 
Edinburgh University) who will be speaking on the technological 
potentials of economic planning. Alongside him will be former Director 
of Project Cybersyn Raul Espejo, who will discuss his experiences with 
Cybersyn and the 'Third Route' to economic planning.

Entry £3 standard, £4 'solidarity'. If price is an issue please contact 
either Charlie Winstanley or Marcus Barnett to make accomodations for 
personal circumstance.