![]() ![]() ![]() This chapter focuses on the careers and styles of two key figures in the development of today's "net culture," Stewart Brand and Theodor Nelson, and explores some elements of the politics of the culture of computers. This chapter suggests that the answer lies, not just in economic or technological logics, but also in cultural ones. So the question remains: Why is the current quasi-religious faith in markets as the solution to all problems so compelling to so many? What makes it seem reasonable, forward-thinking, even a little bit thrilling? And in any case the broad political legitimacy of reforms undertaken on behalf of businesses need to be explained. As Robert Horwitz (1989) and others have pointed out, some forms of market-oriented policy have been instituted against the opposition of industry. Furthermore, while it is true that part of neoliberalism's success can be explained in terms of the corporate interests it serves, this is not always the case. But as with most or all successful political movements, the power of neoliberalism does not seem to be purely a matter of scholarly argument. It is important to counter the neoclassical economist's answer to that question - "it's rational" - by pointing to the many contradictions, irrationalities, and failures of neoclassically-based policies (e.g., Streeter, 1996). One step in the process of constructing a viable alternative to the neoliberal paradigm in communication policy is developing an understanding of why neoliberalism is so popular. "THAT DEEP ROMANTIC CHASM": LIBERTARIANISM, NEOLIBERALISM, AND THE COMPUTER CULTURE ![]() LAW AS COMPUTER CODE: THE FANTASY OF ESCAPE FROM HISTORY INTO THE COMPUTER SCREEN."THAT DEEP ROMANTIC CHASM": XANADU AND NELSON'S DREAM OF PERFECT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.CYBERNETICS AND THE COUNTERCULTURAL ROOTS OF THE COMPUTER CULTURE."That Deep Romantic Chasm": Libertarianism, Neoliberalism, and the Computer Culture "That Deep Romantic Chasm": Libertarianism, Neoliberalism, and the Computer Culture ![]()
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