Ethical Perspectives on Free Software: A Decolonial Reading from Central America
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18041/1900-3803/entramado.1.13161Keywords:
Free Software, Ethics of Technology, Decolonial Thought, Technological Sovereignty, Central AmericaAbstract
This article presents a comparative analysis of the ethical and political principles of the Free Software Foundation (FSF) and the Comunidad Software Libre Centroamérica (SLCA). It starts from the premise that free software arrives in Central America through technological transfer within an asymmetric power relation with the United States. Given this context, the question arises as to whether the mere reproduction of this ethical-technological positioning fosters a practice of engineering capable of transforming living conditions in the region. The study is grounded in decolonial thinking to critique center–periphery dynamics in the production of this discourse. Methodologically, it conducts a comparative analysis of the essays published by the FSF and the statements issued by the SLCA after the meetings in Estelí (2009) and Puntarenas (2010), using three analytical categories: the interpellated subject, the underlying ethical principles, and the thematic axes of political claims. The article argues that SLCA’s position is not a mere reproduction of the FSF’s discourse, but rather a critical appropriation that contextualizes the principles of free software within a distinct ethical and political framework oriented toward emancipation and the improvement of living conditions in Central America.
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