[Air-l] Libertarianism and Programmers / Techies

Charles Ess cmess at drury.edu
Thu Apr 20 20:33:26 PDT 2006


> I've heard, in Lessig's book "code" and informally in conversation
> about the link between free-market secularism / Libertarianism and
> programmers / technologists. Are there good resources that addresse
> how this link historically evolved and why it happened? (If it, in
> face, did?).
> 
> Ericka Menchen Trevino
> Graduate Student
> University of Illinois at Chicago
> Department of Communication
> 
> http://blog.erickamenchen.net/
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One concrete link is John Perry Barlow and his famous "Declaration of the
Independence of Cyberspace" (1996).  As a lyrics writer for the Grateful
Dead and good libertarian Wyoming rancher, while also co-founder of the
Electronic Freedom Foundation, Barlow was (is?) a prominent and influential
spokesperson for this collocation of views.

Ann Willis (University of Canberra, Australia), both in her PhD thesis and
in " NERDY NO MORE: A case study of early Wired (1993-96)" (Electronic
Journal of Communication / La Revue Electronique de Communication, Vol. 12,
nos. 3-4) nicely documents how Wired magazine expresses the predominantly
libertarian views of its predominantly white male, middle-to-upper class
readership - many of whom, presumably, included programmers / technologists
in Silicon Valley (and elsewhere).

I'm sure someone(s) has done a more extensive and careful study, but hope
these bits off the top of my very superficial head are of some use.

cheers - and please share what you find! -
cX

Charles Ess

Distinguished Research Professor,
Interdisciplinary Studies <http://www.drury.edu/gp21>
Drury University
900 N. Benton Ave.              Voice: 417-873-7230
Springfield, MO  65802  USA       FAX: 417-873-7435
Home page:  http://www.drury.edu/ess/ess.html

Co-chair, CATaC'06: http://www.catacconference.org
Co-chair, ECAP'06: http://www.eu-cap.org

Professor II, Globalization and Applied Ethics Programmes
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
http://www.anvendtetikk.ntnu.no/pres/bridgingcultures.php

Exemplary persons seek harmony, not sameness. -- Analects 13.23






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