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
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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