Future Imperfect: Evgeny Morozov vs. Steven Johnson

A couple of weeks ago Evgeny Morozov and Steven Johnson had a very public spat (writers’ favorite kind), prompted by Evgeny’s review of Johnson’s latest book in the New Republic.

The result was predictable: two geeky boys with big egos each hell bent on proving the other wrong. ThIn the end, the big winner was … the New Republic — and the authors’ respective book publishers. Nothing attracts a crowd like a public tussle, and a crowd is precisely what the publishing industry so desperately needs. Notably absent from their nitpicking and clawing, however, was a thoughtful discussion of ideas, specifically the ideas that each one presents in his latest respective book.

David Sasaki offer his own interpretation of what Evgeny and Steven have each contributed to our understanding about our relationship with the Internet.