Co-Founder, Wikipedia
Co-Founder of Wikipedia.com and Editor-in-Chief of the Citizendium project
PROFILE
Larry Sanger
Guest
FROM Larry Sanger
To the Point
Is Today's Internet Killing Our Culture? Internet 2.0, the participatory websites that depend on content generated by users, is under attack. Once hailed for democratizing culture by providing more information from more sources without either filters or fees, critics now contend that web blogs, Google and Wikipedia are replacing expert gatekeepers with the "wisdom of crowds," often ignorant and wrong. Will traditional standards devolve into cultural anarchy where nobody knows what's true or false or will history's biggest communications explosion liberate culture from the heavy hand of self-interested elites?
To the Point
Experts, Amateurs and the Backlash against Internet 2.0 Internet 2.0 is defined by a new generation of participatory websites, which depend on content generated by users. It's been hailed for its democratization of culture by providing more information from more sources without either filters or fees. But it's been around long enough to have generated an intellectual backlash, best represented by a new book called The Cult of the Amateur . The contention is that web-blogs, Google and Wikipedia are replacing expert gatekeepers with the "wisdom of the crowd," and are often ignorant and wrong. Will the demise of traditional standards lead to cultural anarchy where nobody knows what's true or false, or will history's biggest communications explosion liberate culture from the heavy hand of a narrow-minded elite? Blogs discussed in this segment: AskANinja BoingBoing Digg
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To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
Left, Right & Center
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To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?