Free software and the communitarian and solidary logic of knowledge construction

Abstract

This article briefly discusses how the notion of sharing and collective creation present in the free software production model is linked to an idea of ​​law and social responsibility. We demonstrate how, through the creation of the GNU Project, which initiated the free software movement, Richard Stallman sought to oppose the anti-community and anti-solidarity logic imposed by the software industry from the end of the last century. This logic, when transforming the software into private goods of restricted use and circulation by the copyrights privileged individual action, creation and gain to the detriment to the collective’s. Contrary to this trend, the free software movement presents itself as a defense not only of free knowledge as an important value in society, but also of its production in a collaborative way as essential for the free software and society as a whole to thrive.