Sunstein II: Citizens, Consumers, Democracy and Regulation

At the end of the last session, I briefly mentioned some of the technical possibilities for avoiding some of the dangers mentioned in Sunstein's book. As many of you have expressed an interest in learning how to publish a web page, we'll begin today by talking about how the Web works, why markup is interesting, and how certain kinds of links and tags might be an reasonably unburdensome requirement for Web-based content providers. We'll also discuss the role a computer project could (will?!) play in this course.

Introduction 2: What Makes Democracies Work?

As a preface to today's discussion of republic.com, we'll share answers to two questions:

• In what successful democratic institutions/organizations have you participated, and why do you think they were successful?
• When was the last time you sought out "alternative" sources of news or opinion, and how/why did you do so?

Although the statement "All Politics is Local" has become somewhat of a cliche, one can make a very strong argument that, even in this digital age, effective political action is most often rooted in the particular concerns of particular constituencies. Traditionally, this has meant "local" constituencies.

On the other hand, a technology like the Internet, that facilitates personal communication and empowerment, would seem to offer great opportunities for improving both the quantity and quality of political participation by citizens in government, even though the technology makes "local" participation more an option than a necessity.

Today is Election Day, and the major elections are in fact local (rather than national). Reflecting on Cherny's views, Sunstein's views, and your own degree of political participation, do you think that the institutions of political representation currently in place in the US can make revolutionary use of information technologies, and if so how might our institutions change to accommodate such use? Similarly, do you imagine the slogan "All politics is local" will seem antiquated in 50 years?

Cass Sunsetin's republic.com

We'll continue our discussion of Sunsetin's book, and here are some questions we might consider:

• Sunstein talks about the value of shared experiences, and last time we struggled to figure out whether we had any(!). At Brown, of course, comparatively little value is placed on imposing shared experiences, but can a democracy be well-functioning with so little imposition?
• Sunstein argues that equating the successful citizen with the successful consumer is a bad idea for democracy. What is his argument and do you agree with it?
• What are examples of "government regulations" you think justified and unjustified? Do you agree with Sunstein's point about there not being a non-regulated option for the Internet?
• What is Sunstein's defense of the view that "free speech is not absolute," and how do his views on free speech compare with your own?
• Which of the (6) "reform possibilities" discussed in chapter 8 do you think useful/practical/desirable?
• In the "Afterword", written for the paperback edition, Sunstein says that a central inspiration for republic.com was Jane Jacobs' 1961 classic, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, which among other things pointed to and celebrated the function, diversity and vitality of public urban spaces. To what extent is the City (rather than the Village) your model of a well-functioning democracy?

From Digital Democracy to Computer Ethics

On Thursday we'll begin the third unit of Computers and Human Values, and rather than identity or politics, the subject will be ethics. We'll begin with a chapter specifically devoted to the connection between the Internet and "democratic values".

For Thursday:: Read chapter 8 of Duncan Langford's Internet Ethics, and send your second paper topic to the list by the end of the day on Wednesday (and come to class prepared to talk about it a bit).

Back to the Syllabus