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The Future of Ideas

The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World

By Lawrence Lessig

(17)

| Hardcover | 9780375505782

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Book Description

The Internet revolution has come. Some say it has gone. What was responsible for its birth? Who is responsible for its demise?

In The Future of Ideas, Lawrence Lessig explains how the Internet revolution has produced a counterrevolution of devastating power and effect. The explosion of innovation we have seen in the environment of the Internet was not conjured from some new, previously unimagined technological magic; instead, it came from an ideal as old as the nation. Creativity flourished there because the Internet protected an innovation commons. The Internet’s very design built a neutral platform upon which the widest range of creators could experiment. The legal architecture surrounding it protected this free space so that culture and information–the ideas of our era–could flow freely and inspire an unprecedented breadth of expression. But this structural design is changing–both legally and technically.

This shift will destroy the opportunities for creativity and innovation that the Internet originally engendered. The cultural dinosaurs of our recent past are moving to quickly remake cyberspace so that they can better protect their interests against the future. Powerful conglomerates are swiftly using both law and technology to "tame" the Internet, transforming it from an open forum for ideas into nothing more than cable television on speed. Innovation, once again, will be directed from the top down, increasingly controlled by owners of the networks, holders of the largest patent portfolios, and, most invidiously, hoarders of copyrights.

The choice Lawrence Lessig presents is not between progress and the status quo. It is between progress and a new Dark Ages, in which our capacity to create is confined by an architecture of control and a society more perfectly monitored and filtered than any before in history. Important avenues of thought and free expression will increasingly be closed off. The door to a future of ideas is being shut just as technology makes an extraordinary future possible.

With an uncanny blend of knowledge, insight, and eloquence, Lawrence Lessig has written a profoundly important guide to the care and feeding of innovation in a connected world. Whether it proves to be a road map or an elegy is up to us.

2 Reviews

It is never too late to read about the future of ideas

It is never too late to read about the future of ideas, even it is -a book from the past-. While reading the book I made many notes to follow up on, so this is just a first write up.
The creative process requires protection. Rules can form unnecessary barriers to innovate and the freedom to innovat ... (continue)

It is never too late to read about the future of ideas, even it is -a book from the past-. While reading the book I made many notes to follow up on, so this is just a first write up.
The creative process requires protection. Rules can form unnecessary barriers to innovate and the freedom to innovate should be treasured by society. Control is necessary, but not always justified. Sometimes no control will get you better returns. Lessig brings the internet as a prime example of that. What if you lose more from hiding that you can possibly gain by (freely or selectively) revealing?
I very much agree that free resources are crucial to innovation and creativity. But value creation is not directly related to value capture. Lessig states that not all resources must be organized as a commons because some are. Keeping resources in the commons ensures no single actor can take advantage of the value the community has created. Individuals and organizations draw value from the commons, which they then consume privately. There is a benefit to keeping resources in the commons and it is the boundaries of the commons that are of interest to me. Comforting quote: the open and the closed always coexist and depend upon each other in this coexistence. The key is to balance the benefits of free against control, so that the benefits of each can be achieved.
Interesting to read how over time the openness of commercial code has changed. And who would have thought I have been an anonymous Stallman fan for ages (for his Emacs editor!). Liked the “if you are free from geekhood”, “the soul of the internet” (Linux, Apache), “ah-ha technology: you don’t quite get its significance until you use it (about napster).”
I do wonder if market leaders really are blind to new forms of creativity. Or are they just consciously not acting? Arguably, it takes (business) courage to innovate against your core. Where ever did this ‘dinosaur firm’ came from? I do recall “elephants can’t dance”, but it turned out they can after all. And are dinosaur firms a bad thing? After all, dinosaurs survived millions of years, were amazingly adaptable and that comet was unavoidable anyway. Didn’t even some dinosaurs survive until today?
Interesting quote: “the government should continue to ensure that no major player in the Internet space is able to architect the internet space to empower its own strategic behavior.” Wonder which company that would be today.
I do see a relation to Open Innovation in many parts of the book, but have not focused on that this time. Reading this book is part of a greater endeavor. Getting ready for the next (Free culture)

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Jw van Eck said on Aug 21, 2011 | Add your feedback

EXCELLENT BOOK

Great vision! What else to say? Such a great insight for future development of our connected world, social liberties and freedom to innovate.
Just love this book!!!

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CineP said on Oct 24, 2007 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback