# Commons Explain what "the commons" are and the history of the term. > [!ai]+ AI > > The commons refer to shared resources that are accessible and used by a community. This concept can be traced back to medieval Europe, where land and natural resources were often held in common by villages or towns. These resources included forests for hunting, grazing land for livestock, and water sources for irrigation and fishing. > During the Industrial Revolution, the idea of the commons became less prevalent as private ownership of land and resources increased. However, in the 20th century, scholars such as Elinor Ostrom began to revisit the concept of the commons in relation to modern issues such as environmental sustainability and social justice. > Today, examples of the commons include public parks, libraries, and natural resources such as fisheries or forests. The term is also used in discussions about digital media and intellectual property rights, with some arguing that certain types of information should be considered part of a global commons rather than owned by individual corporations. ## See - [[Innovation of poverty]] - [[Bike advocacy]] - [[Urban planning]] ## Quotes - [[QUOTE - Ivan Illich - People called commons those parts of the environment for which customary law xacted specific forms of community respect. …]] - [[QUOTE - Ivan Illich - Primarily, however, my students think of the innovation of poverty …]] - [[QUOTE - Ivan Illich - The enclosure of the commons inaugurates a new ecological order]] - [[QUOTE - Ivan Illich - The road has been degraded from a commons to a simple resource for the circulation of vehicles]] ## Books - [[BOOK - In the Mirror of the Past - Ivan Illich]] - [[ARTICLE - Ivan Illich - Silence is a commons]]