Vigdor Schreibman makes a number of broad statements about how best to
proceed with the development of the Internet.
== Begin quote ==
The profit motive did not build the Internet, which was one of the great
success stories of contemporary civilization. Moreover, with the advent
of radical privatization instituted by the Clinton Administration a course
has been set leading toward "an intellectual and cultural disaster" in
cyberspace, as recently observed in an interview with Yale professor David
Gelernter, author of Mirror Worlds (1991), published online in the
inaugural issue of Howard Rheingold's Electric Minds, Nov 11, 1996.
Instead of continuing that proven cycle of failure the American people
should be building a publicly supported, democratic Global Information
Infrastructure (dGII), governed by the values of economic prosperity,
social equity, and ecological integrity as mutually reinforcing goals. The
ethic of "free market" capitalism focused on profit maximization will only
disregard those values, which are essential to the well being of the
people and survival of the Planet Earth.
The next great leap forward is possible only by overcoming the
self-imposed constraints of the broadly perpetrated fictions of "free
market" capitalism. Surely this forum, to advance the notion of learning
organizations, should have learned that basic lesson.
== end quote ==
We have had this discussion about what drives business, and at least for
me, it is clearly not primarily the profit motive. Profit is a necessary
but not sufficient condition for a business to succeed in the long run.
However, I will substitute 'business' for 'profit motive' and still have
some questions about Vigdor's contentions.
As in the case of the Internet, business did not build the first airplane
either, but it did build the international airline and airport network
that allows one to arrive anywhere within 24 hours. By analogy, I think
it is far too soon to say that the Internet is "built". We know it exists
in a primitive form, but we have no idea yet what its final form will
take. I am not particularly comfortable with business driving Internet
development, but I am less comfortable with the notion that someone
actually thinks they know and can implement what this thing ought to look
like for the good of all of us. Too paternalistic, too controlling, and
too unlikely to be true -- at least for me.
I am certain that the constraints and drivers of 'the next great leap
forward' are still unknown. Systems dynamics teaches me that what will
happen will be unclear until it begins to happen.
I actually feel pretty comfortable with the tension that exists among many
private organizations and government organizations in the development of
this most complex of all beasts. This is a constructive tension that will
by and large, have constructive consequences. Tension ensures that issues
will be more fully aired. Tension ensures some communication, reportage,
debate, perhaps dialog. The absence of contending forces can allow
unfortunate effects to occur with insufficient discussion and debate. I
guess democratic principles feel most relevant in directing the
development of the Internet.
--Rol Fessenden 7234.3636@compuserve.com
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>