Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: What communication platforms are used in co-housing post move-in?

[Brian Bartholomew (bartholomew.brian]

 > I find it a reminder that we no longer know each other well enough
> to know who would have a person's extra key and who would be taking
> care of the pets and everyone remembered (fairly reliably) to let
> someone know this information.

I suspect anthropologists have quantified the various max average
sizes of communities, each of which has a certain level of intimate
knowledge of each other. At each larger size you are less likely to
achieve "consensus", defined as 'I don't agree but will obey due to
social bond to the group members'.

Sweeping all the non-consensus in larger groups under the rug of 'must
have a common aim' doesn't light the way to success. Even early
American settlements who were church congregations and otherwise very
homogeneous didn't have common enough aims to succeed as an economic
commune with pooled farm produce.

Brian