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by AnimalMuppet 3476 days ago
> Ours is a world that is both everywhere and nowhere, but it is not where bodies live.

Unfortunately, our/their bodies are made of matter, and are subject to laws and government enforcement. That kind of ruins much of the logic of the manifesto.

> We are creating a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity.

That seems somewhat overstated compared to the reality, in light of recent events (great firewalls, DDOS attacks, and online attacks based on viewpoint).

> We must declare our virtual selves immune to your sovereignty, even as we continue to consent to your rule over our bodies. We will spread ourselves across the Planet so that no one can arrest our thoughts.

Yeah... that "rule over our bodies" turns out to actually affect cyberspace.

To be fair, the manifesto was written in 1996.
1 comments
EthanHeilman 3476 days ago
>To be fair, the manifesto was written in 1996.

Too soon to judge as we are in a moment of backlash against these trends, lets see how 2196 views the manifesto.

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inimino 3475 days ago
> we are in a moment of backlash against these trends

What makes you think so? As far as I can tell, it's over and the idealists lost.

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EthanHeilman 3475 days ago
>As far as I can tell, it's over and the idealists lost.

Could be true, could not be, I don't know. The present often seems like the end of history because it is very difficult to see beyond it.

Some lost cause today will be a dominate ideology tomorrow, with the "nutty-idealists" reframed as visionaries ahead of the curve.

Fun game: if history remembers RMS, what role will he be cast into, what future trends will try to claim or denounce him?

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inimino 3474 days ago
When the Internet was new, there was a perception in some quarters that it was New and old orders were about to be overturned. That's the sentiment reflected in the manifesto.

Now we can see that it was just another medium that would in (short) time come to be dominated by the same forces at play everywhere else. Those particular dreams are dead and they aren't going to be revived now that we know how the Internet is actually used. The Internet revolution has played out. It is now part of the background, just like the printing press.

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EthanHeilman 3474 days ago
>When the Internet was new, there was a perception in some quarters that it was New and old orders were about to be overturned.

And they still might be overturned, it is much too early to call it in either direction.

>The Internet revolution has played out. It is now part of the background, just like the printing press.

The Gutenberg printing press was invented in 1440, the protestant reformation didn't start until 1517 (77 years later). The growing impact of the printing press was still being felt 200 years later. Imagine someone writing in 1480 about the printing press being played out.

"People always overestimate the impact of a technology in the short term and underestimate the impact of a technology in the long term."

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inimino 3473 days ago
Perhaps I am overly pessimistic.

Having seen the promise of the early Internet turn into a vehicle of control, surveillance, consumerism, and whatever you want to call Facebook, there is little room left for optimism.

Has it made life easier and more convenient? Yes. Will it empower the oppressed and create a more equitable, a more enlightened world? It sure isn't looking that way.

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