>From Mark Iverson: > FYI, > > The Crime of Reason and the Closing of the Scientific Mind > Robert D. Laughlin, Reviewed by Edward Gerjuoy > Basic Books, New York, 2008. $25.95 (186 pp.). ISBN 978-0-465-00507-9 > > -Mark
-------------- Out at Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Crime-Reason-Closing-Scientific-Mind/dp/0465005071/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244647291&sr=1-1 http://tinyurl.com/lfnjb9 Editorial Reviews >From Publishers Weekly The provocative premise of this short book is that even as we appear to be awash in information, governments and industry are restricting access to knowledge by broadening the concept of intellectual property to include things as diverse as gene sequences and sales techniques . According to Laughlin, the right to learn is now aggressively opposed by intellectual property advocates, who want ideas elevated to the status of land, cars, and other physical assets so the their unauthorized acquisition can be prosecuted as theft. With examples drawn from nuclear physics, biotechnology and patent law, Laughlin, a Nobel laureate in physics, paints a troubling picture of a society in which the only information that is truly valuable in dollars and cents is controlled by a small number of individuals. But while Laughlin poses urgent questions, he provides neither in-depth analysis nor potential solutions. Many intriguing arguments—for example, that electronic technologies such as the Internet, which inundate us with useless information, are not instruments of knowledge dissemination at all but agencies of knowledge destruction—are offered but none are usefully explored. (Oct.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review Peter Thiel, President, Clarium Capital Management "Nobel Laureate Robert Laughlin convincingly argues that we are on the verge of a new dark age as scientific and technical knowledge become the province of experts and the broader populace becomes more ignorant. The Crime of Reason is an eloquent plea for our civilization to keep its lights on." Library Journal "With humorous honesty (it can be fun to think apocalyptically from time to time), Laughlin uncovers the barriers scientists, engineers, and laypeople encounter when they try to learn how the world works by standing on the shoulders of giants, the discoveries of others.. His argument is profound and not easy to dismiss." Booklist "a deeply subtle account, full of insights not only into Ronald Reagan but also William Buckley, his longtime friend, supporter, and (occasional) critic." The Tennessean “In this jeremiad against the stifling constraints of commercialized culture…Laughlin explains the problems well.” ----------------- Regards Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com www.zazzle.com/orionworks
