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Episode Summary
This week on Writer’s Voice, we speak with David Bollier about the newly updated edition of his influential book Think Like a Commoner: A Short Introduction to the Life of the Commons. Bollier argues that commons are neither relics of the past nor utopian fantasies—they are living, adaptive systems that help people meet needs through cooperation rather than competition.
“A commons is a living collective social organism for getting stuff done.” — David Bollier
We discuss why the commons movement is growing worldwide, how it provides a survival strategy amid climate breakdown and political turmoil, and the practical ways communities are creating commons today—from urban housing and childcare networks to open-source software and local currencies. Bollier also shares how thinking like a commoner challenges deeply held assumptions about property, law, and power—and why storytelling and culture are key to this transformation.
Then we re-air a short clip from our March interview with Omar El Akkad, author of One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This. It’s an urgent and unflinching critique of the failures of mainstream liberalism — especially as seen from the genocide Israel is inflicting on Gaza.
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Key Words: David Bollier, Think Like a Commoner, commons movement, mutual aid networks, urban commons, degrowth, cooperative economies, Schumacher Center, cosmo-local production, community resilience, climate and commons, Gaza war and U.S. complicity, Gaza genocide, One Day Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
You Might Also Like: Full Interview with Omar El Akkad, more WV interviews with David Bollier
David Bollier
David Bollier explains what it means to “think like a commoner”—to see the world not as a set of commodities but as a living system of relationships and shared stewardship. He explores the roots of commons thinking, from indigenous traditions to digital communities, and shows how commoning is emerging as a global response to neoliberal capitalism, ecological collapse, and authoritarian politics.
We talk about successful commons in cities like Barcelona, the rise of bioregional economies, and why “legal hacks” like Creative Commons licenses and rights of nature are reshaping law. Bollier argues that commons are not just about resources—they are a cultural and political force that can reclaim autonomy from predatory markets and strengthen community resilience.
Key Topics
- What is the commons?
- Commons as a social system beyond market and state
- The myth of the “tragedy of the commons”
- Local and digital commons (urban housing, childcare, open-source software)
- Commons-public partnerships in cities like Barcelona
- Bioregional economies and degrowth movements
- Legal hacks: Creative Commons, rights for nature
- Commons as resistance to authoritarianism and neoliberal capitalism
- The role of culture and storytelling in building commons
- Challenges: privatization, AI concentration, and legal frameworks