<CPOV> Wales and Objectivism

[Jon Awbrey]

And they've been locked in that ironic cage ever since ...

Jon

andrew.famiglietti at lcc.gatech.edu wrote:
> I think irony is indeed the best word to describe the relationship between Wales' commitment to Rand and the larger construction of Wikipedia. A quote from an early Wikipedia-L post by active early Wikipedia Lee Crocker comes to mind: 
> 
> "And yes, my mind ponders the irony of a radical Friedmanite anarchocapitalist offering a radical Randian Objectivist help in establishing a non-profit collective. :-)" (Crocker, Wikipedia-L, Fri Apr 19 22:30:33 UTC 2002)
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Joseph Reagle" <joseph.nyu at reagle.org>
> To: "CPOV" <cpov at listcultures.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 5:43:58 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
> Subject: <CPOV> Wales and objectivism
> 
> 
> Since the topic came up in Florian's presentation, I coincidentally read a bio of Rand in which Wales is mentioned, and I think touches on the irony/balance:
> 
> [[ http://reagle.org/joseph/blog/social/wikipedia/wales_objectivism
> 
>    I just finished an excellent biography of Ayn Rand and her philosophy
>    in the context of American political culture. While reading, I couldn't
>    help think of Wales' expressed interest in Objectivism and the next to
>    the last page actually comments on this issue:
> 
>      One of the many ironies of Rand's career is her latter-day
>      popularity among entrepreneurs who are pioneering new forms of
>      community. Among her high-profile fans as Wikipedia's founder Jimmy
>      Wales, once an active participant in the listserv controversies of
>      the Objectivist Center. A nonprofit that depends on charitable
>      donations, Wikipedia may ultimately put its rival encyclopedias out
>      of business. At the root of Wikipedia are warring sensibilities that
>      seemed to both embody and defy Rand's beliefs. The website's
>      emphasis on individual empowerment, the value of knowledge, and its
>      own risky organizational model reflects Rand's sensibility. But its
>      trust in the wisdom of crowds, celebration of the social nature of
>      knowledge, and faith that many working together will produce
>      something of enduring value contradict Rand's adage "all creation is
>      individual." (Burns 2009, p. 284)
> ]]

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