of course, utterly intolerable in any functioning society. Apart from anything else, it makes respectable the idea that anybody or anything can be amoral in the pursuit of certain ends. This end is usually defined as growth and, indeed, in the midst of the euro-crisis Ayn Rand's devoted disciple Alan Greenspan emerged again to defend growth at all costs, including the acceptance of risks--all, as we now know, quite incalculable --that would impoverish people too ordinary to understand Rand or just smart enough to see her for what she was, a dangerous cultist. But the end is also defined as growth for me.
from Bryan Appleyard: from The Sunday Times: One Hot Breath
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The utopians are half right when they celebrate the freedom and universality of the internet.
But, equally plainly, the claims of utopians like sc-fi novelist Cory Doctorow who gave a speech entitled How Copyright Threatens Democracy are missing a big point--copyright built and guarantees democracy. Furthermore, the utopians should be aware that, though they see themselves as freedom fighters, they are, in fact, serving the interests of some of the biggest and most powerful companies in the world.
from Bryan Appleyard: from The Sunday Times: Free Ride: The Price of Google
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