The Anarchist in the Library: How the Clash Between Freedom and Control Is Hacking the Real World and Crashing the System

The Anarchist in the Library: How the Clash Between Freedom and Control Is Hacking the Real World and Crashing the System, by Siva Vaidhyanathan

An excellent book in which the author breaks down what is sure to be one of the most crucial topics of our times: the struggle between anarchy and oligarchy, and how this debate has shifted to the forefront of modern life with the advent of the Internet. On one side of this struggle there are those who see information as a commodity to be bought, sold, and tightly controlled - distributed in a hierarchical top-down model. On the other side are those who see information as free; being the communal "property" of, and for the communal benefit of, all people - distributed peer-to-peer in more anarchistic, highly democratic models.
-Rick