Ethics of Hackers and the Spirit of the Information Age

Author: Paul Heiman
Publisher:
Publication Date: 2003-01-01
Features: "The Hacker Ethic" will take us on an academic journey to answer the fundamental questions about life in the information age – it’s a fascinating trip. After the journey, we will gain unexpected perspectives to reassess our time and life. Around a century ago, Max Weber’s "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" revealed the spirit of the industrial era – the Protestant ethic. Now, Paul Heiman – along with Linus Torvalds and Manuel Castells – elaborates on how hackers represent a completely new, contrasting spirit in the information age. Behind the technological creations of hackers, such as the Internet and personal computers, which have become symbols of our time, are the hacker values that created them and challenge us. In today’s emerging, increasingly technologically advanced society, these values advocate passionate and free-paced work; belief in the individual’s ability to collaboratively create great wonders in unimaginable ways; and a desire to defend our existing ethical ideals, such as privacy and equality. "The Hacker Ethic" will take us on an academic journey to answer the fundamental questions about life in the information age – it’s a fascinating trip. After the journey, we will gain unexpected perspectives to reassess our time and life. Etymologically, the word "hacker" refers to fervent computer programmers who enjoy sharing their work with others; they are not computer criminals.