Shifting perspective can affect how you perceive reality. Depending on your viewpoint, you may see “6” or “9,” although the object has not changed. Shifting perspective can also transform reality. Imagine you walk on an unfamiliar street at night and a stranger approaches. You may fear him and veer away. You may trust and greet him. Unless he has unshakeable good or bad intentions, the actions arising from your perspective determine how he relates to you. Avoid him and he will avoid you. Engage him in communication and he will respond in kind. The stranger is the same person, yet shifting your perspective transforms him into a friend or foe.
I propose an analogy in law. The perspective from which laws are made can transform society. For example, from the perspective that people seek domination, we make laws to deter exploitation, such as exclusive rights to creators of intellectual property. This view has survival value but carries limitations: preoccupied with avoiding domination, we may not embrace collaboration. Shifting to the perspective that people seek collaboration, we make laws that provide new opportunities for creating together. Copyleft licensing, for example, enables anyone to adapt someone’s intellectual property and distribute modified versions. Like trust among strangers, copyleft licensing is not advisable in all cases, but has opened unprecedented possibilities of collaborative creation, especially on the internet. A perspective embracing affinity and collaboration, whether on the street or in the field of law, can transform people from potential thieves to potential partners.
