Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias [Paperback]

Peter Ludlow (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Digital Communication | Publication Date: April 16, 2001

In Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias, Peter Ludlow extends the approach he used so successfully in High Noon on the Electronic Frontier, offering a collection of writings that reflects the eclectic nature of the online world, as well as its tremendous energy and creativity. This time the subject is the emergence of governance structures within online communities and the visions of political sovereignty shaping some of those communities. Ludlow views virtual communities as laboratories for conducting experiments in the construction of new societies and governance structures. While many online experiments will fail, Ludlow argues that given the synergy of the online world, new and superior governance structures may emerge. Indeed, utopian visions are not out of place, provided that we understand the new utopias to be fleeting localized "islands in the Net" and not permanent institutions.The book is organized in five sections. The first section considers the sovereignty of the Internet. The second section asks how widespread access to resources such as Pretty Good Privacy and anonymous remailers allows the possibility of "Crypto Anarchy"--essentially carving out space for activities that lie outside the purview of nation states and other traditional powers. The third section shows how the growth of e-commerce is raising questions of legal jurisdiction and taxation for which the geographic boundaries of nation-states are obsolete. The fourth section looks at specific experimental governance structures evolved by online communities. The fifth section considers utopian and anti-utopian visions for cyberspace.Contributors Richard Barbrook, John Perry Barlow, William E. Baugh Jr., David S. Bennahum, Hakim Bey, David Brin, Andy Cameron, Dorothy E. Denning, Mark Dery, Kevin Doyle, Duncan Frissell, Eric Hughes, Karrie Jacobs, David Johnson, Peter Ludlow, Timothy C. May, Jennifer L. Mnookin, Nathan Newman, David G. Post, Jedediah S. Purdy, Charles J. Stivale.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Freedom's not dead in cyberspace. That's the premise of philosopher Peter Ludlow and most of the contributors to his Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias, and it's hard to argue otherwise after reading it. Deliberately freeing the volume from the shackles of academic rigor (and jargon), Ludlow draws deeply from the cyber-underground and mixes classic rants with post-millennial realism. From John Perry Barlow's chestnut "A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace" to Jedediah Purdy's cautionary "The God of the Digerati," the collection is direct, confrontational, and thought-provoking.

Though the topic of virtual communities has been thoroughly explored elsewhere, the possibility of spaces free from terrestrial jurisdiction--called "Temporary Autonomous Zones" by Hakim Bey--has not yet penetrated mainstream thought. Strong encryption and essential qualities of the Internet--like portability--ensure that such utopias will remain theoretically and practically tenable through the foreseeable future, and Ludlow's visionaries want to see them flower. The penultimate section on experimental governing systems and the appended interview with Noam Chomsky demolishing widely held beliefs about anarchy crown the book with deep thinking about issues vital to the future of freedom--online and off. It's exciting to see this work get the widespread attention it deserves--with any luck, the iconic Net user will soon trade in the pocket protector for an eye patch. --Rob Lightner

Review

"An excellent book. Ludlow juxtaposes contrasting views in a way which amuses and enlightens."--Amy S. Bruckman, College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology

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Product Details

• Paperback: 451 pages
• Publisher: A Bradford Book (April 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262621517
• ISBN-13: 978-0262621519
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #966,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #69 in Books > Computers & Technology > Computer Science > Artificial Intelligence > Cybernetics

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Activism, No Boredom, September 6, 2001

By 

Joan Diggerson (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias (Paperback)

As a media activist, I'm constantly confronted by people who don't understand that the real revolution in media is not the commercial internet, but the "undernet" of hidden economies and private interchanges. Ludlow's book gets it right, avoiding the common misconceptions about the Internet to show why it's not just the battleground for big companies, but the playground for a real revolutionary force. What I really like in this book is the way he collects some of the classic (but under-read) articles on the possibilities of the new media and adds in some intense new stuff. It's like a one-stop shop for the coming age of controlled digital chaos. You NEED to read this book if you want to understand what the future of activism is going to be.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE source for info and theory on Cyber Utopias, August 29, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias (Paperback)

By bringing together a seemingly disparate group of essays Ludlow has discovered a hidden theme in contemporary writings about cyber-space, alt-culture and techno-politics. The strain of dissident utopianism that Ludlow brings forth in this arrangement of short pieces is clearly an important trend, and it's incredibly useful to have all these writings (some classics, like Hakim Bey's "Temporary Autonomous Zones" and some excellent new material, including a great intro by Ludlow) together in one volume. This is really a must-read for anyone interested in what's happening with radical thought right now. Sets out the blueprint for a post-Marxist/post-Capitalist culture that is developing itself outside and within the existing social, economic and political structures. These are texts that academic thinkers will be catching up with in another ten or twenty years...Ludlow transcends his academic background (he's a philosopher, sadly) by seeing their value today.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars totally kewl, August 29, 2001

By 

Q. Hatehole (Flagstaff, AZ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crypto Anarchy, Cyberstates, and Pirate Utopias (Paperback)

With all the B.S. about cyberspace showing up in the newspapers and dopey newsmagazines its about "Time" somebody got it right. This is what makes the whole internet/underground culture thing interesting. Lots of great essays on how the new way is actually changing the way people live and interact. If your take on electronic culture comes from reading the kiddie-porn articles and "death of the internet" stuff in the mainstream media, you're missing the big picture. thank you, peter ludlow!!!!!