book data
129 ratings, 3.97 average rating, 15 reviews
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published
October 22nd 2002
by Vintage
binding
Paperback, 384 pages
isbn
0375726446
(isbn13: 9780375726446)
description
If The Future of Ideas is bleak, we have nobody to blame but ourselves. Author Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford law professor and keen observer of ...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 264)
Read in July, 2008
I think this is the book where Lessig truly became one of the most essential public intellectuals of our time. Reading it in 2008, years after its initial release, it has turned out to be stunningly prescient. He writes about the social, economic, and political ramifications of our misguided intellectual property and technology policy with clarity and wit here.
This is probably the most essential of Lessig's three books. Code 2.0 can be pedagogic at times and Free Culture is the work of a def...more
This is probably the most essential of Lessig's three books. Code 2.0 can be pedagogic at times and Free Culture is the work of a def...more
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Read in February, 2006
recommends it for:
Nerds, Journalism Majors, History Buffs, Purity Wizards, Senators, Anarchists
Our children will have no problem parsing this book, whatsoever. When I read this book, I would actually get angry at Lessig at being too moderate. After describing in such nuance the way things have been horribly messed up in copyright and spectrum laws, my reaction was "well, then burn the FCC to the ground, loot Disney World, and put Les Moonves' head on a stake". Lessig, however, usually provides a more moderate solution. Sometimes it looks like compromise, but in the end, the ...more
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Read in March, 2008
Still relevant six-seven years on, the book is highly informative and well-constructed. I just had a hard time motivating myself to finish, I don't know if that's because the subject can at times be dry, that the book has been kind of upstaged by Lessig's later efforts, or just my own failings with slightly academic texts. But for those interested in technology, The Future of Ideas is definitely worth checking out for its broad sentiments about the nature of control and innovation.
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Read in July, 2004
Lucid and persuasive, Lessig gives history lessons intertwining commerce, morals, politics and law. We get to understand in lay terms how we got to be where we are in copyright and patent law and why it is important that we're able to build on the assets of others' ideas. Important reading for intellectual property owners and purveyors.
Regards,
Keith
Regards,
Keith
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Read in March, 2008
"The experts didn't get it", the book starts by giving you the history of the internet from the ground up, always reminding you that freedom drives innovation because the few at the top, might not get it.
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Read in March, 2003
yes, i was once a member of the Lawrence Lessig cult. (still respect his ideas, just not as zealous. remember when copyright was a top concern? ah the good old days.)
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Read in February, 2008
This is a very informative and interesting take on the history and future of ideas on the internet. Not a light read, but then it's not a light subject.
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this book crystallized my thinking about the significance of Open Source and the power of collaborative development of ideas.
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Adage be damned. The hardcover edition of this book may have the best cover I've ever seen. Now, I just need to finish reading it.
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Read in January, 2002
It breaks down who runs the web, how it runs, and the decisions and biases that determine the rules of the internet.
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Read in April, 2008
just started, seems good . . . had to put it down to read other stuff but worth going back to . . .
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bought in Cambridge in 2002, when I was attending a conference at Harvard)
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Read in March, 2007
Very interesting, but took ages to read. Quite hard work.
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