Those looking for the full-Gonzo narrative account of some of the more interesting 48 hours of my life will have to look elsewhere, if I ever get around to writing it. Short version: It was fun, nobody died.
What follows is more like a post-mortem that includes things that surprised me, things that answer the questions I had before setting out, and things that the readers of this blog might find interesting. As more ideas come to me, others post their reactions, and those in the comments post their queries, I will likely expand this and perhaps fold things into a new post. Let me also be clear that these impressions are based on a limited set of observations, and may not reflect the full depth of what was going on. Let me also be clear that it was a damn fun weekend.
- The event was mercifully not anti-political in tone, as I had feared it might be. Organizer Patri Friedman at one point told me: “Ephemerisle without politics is like Burning Man without art”, and this message seems to have gotten through. While the planned “law boards” (chalk boards detailing the laws in effect on any given floating platform) were scrapped, most of the attendees kept the verbal focus on creating the conditions for innovation and competition among political systems rather than on creating floating libertarian utopias.
- While it wasn’t anti-political, the whole thing was at times creepily non-political. It seemed to me like the demographic was evenly split between those who were primarily there to build floating stuff and those who were primarily there to party. I’ll attribute this for now to the fact that it took us a while to climb Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Debating and discussing political philosophy is difficult when one doesn’t have shelter, and construction of the floating platforms took much longer than anticipated. The next few years will be crucial for the future of the project — if major engineering challenges get met but people still aren’t debating, I think that spells trouble for Ephemerisle (seasteading would still work, however, the two concepts are synergistic but separate).
- Barriers to entry for attending were paradoxically both too low and too high. They were too high for those building their own structures — something that very few people did — and too low relative to the structure-builders for those renting boats. This led to a palpable social division between the two categories. I’d say the right combination of fixes would be to hold the event in a location where it was slightly more difficult to bring rental boats, but also for the organizers to reach out and provide platform-building advice and support to those interested in attending.
- Given how high the barriers to entry were, however, attendance was impressive. I’d estimate 150 people. I predict that number will go up sharply in the next few years; many of those who I interviewed expressed a desire to return, and many people that I spoke with upon returning expressed a desire to go. The idea seems to have legs, and I suspect it could go slightly viral.
- My strong impression was that most of the participants could best be described as left-libertarian. I suspect that this was mostly due to the majority of participants being from the Bay Area, since seasteading is not a particularly left-libertarian idea. Curiously, however, most of the people I interviewed were under the impression that everybody else was a right-libertarian.
Let me start with that. I’m doubtless forgetting to report back some important intel. What question do y’all have about what went on?
Update 10/8/09: It occurs to me that I didn’t mention anything about the economic system at Ephemerisle — or lack thereof. There wasn’t much in the way of a functioning market, as most people were a little too self-sufficient. Also, there was a very strong communal ethos which heavily encouraged sharing and gifts while discouraging transactions. I suspect that this will change over time as the event grows larger and lasts longer. People will begin to specialize, and with specialization comes markets. In fact, I’m already thinking of useful services that I could provide next year.
October 7th, 2009 | 5:41 am
There was definitely a culture divide between the constructors and the houseboaters that, for me and for others, seemed to echo the divide between the urban and the suburban.
But there wasn’t a lot of room for political commentary. On Apocaisle (that platform with the high crow’s nest), we spent most of our time just sorting out the lowest levels of Maslow’s pyramid, as you pointed out, because we blew most of our time/effort/currency resources on simply building our thing and getting out there. And, you know, not dying. Not much partying for me.
It seemed to me that people who hitched a ride or canoed out had a nice leisurely time hanging out and manifesting the “party” aspect, while people who made things spent all their time setting up and then undoing them — 2 days is way too short.
An event laden in dichotomies, to be sure.
And it was already better last year!
–Naomi
October 8th, 2009 | 2:09 am
Naomi,
Thanks for your comment! The urban/suburban metaphor occurred to my crew as well. The rope ferry that we rigged up the second night helped heal the divide some, but I still think that this is one of the most important things for the organizers to think about next year.
By the way, I’m nearly certain that we met, especially if you were on Apocaisle, but I can’t remember who you are. Care to remind me? I was the one wearing an olive-colored blazer, slacks, and orange-rimmed sunglasses.
October 8th, 2009 | 11:02 am
the whole thing was at times creepily non-political..Debating and discussing political philosophy is difficult when one doesn’t have shelter…The next few years will be crucial for the future of the project — if major engineering challenges get met but people still aren’t debating, I think that spells trouble for Ephemerisle
I think you’ve just convinced me of the opposite. (and that I need to attend next year – I didn’t get there this time). The difficulty of surviving in this new frontier is a feature, not a bug. The New World and the Old West weren’t free or libertararian to the degree that they were because people debated political philosophy in their copious spare time and thereby reached the especially well-reasoned conclusion that they should spend minimal resources on government. No, they were free and libertarian because people were too busy working and surviving to put up with needless bureaucratic obstacles to getting stuff done. Politics in the old frontiers was an afterthought, something that got short shrift. The pioneers had to fight off predators, build shelter, clear fields, improve water supplies, plant and gather and prepare well enough to survive the next winter. Any time there was a need to solve a political problem, they’d apply the proven programming technique do the simplest thing that might possibly work so they could get back to the more important stuff.
Serious politics is a luxury good. If a large fraction of ephermerisle participants were too busy being productive – learning, producing, solving problems – to waste much of their non-recreational time on politics, that seems like an excellent indication that they were on the right path.
October 8th, 2009 | 12:16 pm
Glen,
I think you’re comments are basically on the mark, but you have to understand that Ephemerisle is not the same thing as Seasteading more generally.
The event was billed as a politics, art, and cultural festival with overlapping purposes (raising awareness of seasteading, building a community, enabling organic acquisition of ocean-living skills, and fostering debate).
I think it succeeded at some of those things and failed at others. This is not an indictment of the Seasteading Institute, just a musing on what we need to work harder on next year.
October 8th, 2009 | 6:21 pm
I think this one factor illustrates the degree to which Ephermerisle really is – surprisingly! – a lot like Seasteading more generally.
Sure, the event should “foster debate”, but maybe it’s okay if the debate it fosters mostly happens after people get home and have had the chance to mull over what they think they’ve learned. I’m hard-pressed to see how being physically located on a raft is necessary or even especially helpful to aid reasoned “debate”.
The art could have more political aspects as could the living situation – I can see how we could have competitive political systems (or more likely, competitive political games) per-platform as things get more established without debate really being much of the on-the-water experience.
October 10th, 2009 | 2:38 pm
I do hope you docked your craft near Locke and wandered down for a Steak with Peanut Butter at Al the Wops Bar and Grill.
Who knew the Delta could be so Existential!
October 21st, 2009 | 4:55 pm
[...] film documentarians, and Will Wilson, representing the conservative magazine First Thing’s “Postmodern Conservative” web site. [...]
October 21st, 2009 | 9:05 pm
[...] on the political aspects of Ephemerisle came in the comment thread to Will Wilson’s post on Postmodern Conservative. Will wrote: …the whole thing was at times creepily non-political. It seemed to me like the [...]
October 22nd, 2009 | 1:04 pm
[...] reading several accounts of the Ephemerisle Festival (for those interested, a more in-depth explanation of the event – [...]
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