So the most startling thing happened to me yesterday: the author of A Renegade History of the United States, Thaddeus Russell, emailed me. I've exchanged a few emails with him since and an article he sent me has got me thinking in some productive new directions that will, hopefully, be transmuted into blog posts and not simply used to harangue my long-suffering and infinitely patient wife.
But anyway, it's nearly midnight and I worked all day, so no profound or at least prolix posts tonight. Instead, I want to relay a humorous experience I've had today with the networking Bryan discussed below. As you are all well aware, I am just some random asshole, but because Dr. Russell is now my friend on Facebook (my second ever, joining my illustrious co-blogger), Facebook now suggests that I might know some of the people on his friends list, and so naturally suggests that perhaps the former editor of The New Republic and I are homies. Which we are, of course. Petey B and me go way back.
I haven't yet used Facebook for much other than a place to make Free Air and Water more visible, and I'm certainly not the type to use it for social climbing (even the nerdy sort of social climbing that involves trying to friend Peter Beinart), but I think this little experience illustrates Bryan's point well- a big part of moving up in the world involves getting access to elite circles. Lots of people have good ideas, only a few know venture capitalists. This adventure also enlivens a point Edward Glaeser made in his recent book about cities- a huge part of the productive value of cities is simply the proximity they provide. One clever guy by himself can't do nearly as much as one clever guy packed into a city with thousands upon thousands of other clever folks. Dr. Glaeser in his book argues that the internet's simulacrum of this proximity is but a poor imitation, lacking the full impact of physical proximity. I am not sure Dr. Glaeser fully appreciates the potential of the internet for far-flung networking, though. Fifteen years ago I might have met Dr. Russell at a book signing and exchanged a few brief words; today he can find my blog, send me a note and we can have a much more productive (at least for me) exchange. Imagine that potential multiplied a million-fold as the entire world becomes wired.
The marginal value becomes enormous as this network encompasses more disadvantaged parts of the world. The reason I'm a nurse and not any of the wonderful things my teachers said I could be if I'd do my homework and come to class more than once a week is purely my own hard-headed refusal to do what I'm told. But there are people in some parts of the world much smarter than I am and without my problems with following the rules who are working as shepherds or subsistence farmers simply because of where they were born. Quite literally, at this very moment, there are almost certainly minds of potentially world historical significance scratching out an isolated living in eastern China or Subsaharan Africa. Imagine what we can do, what we can become, once all those minds are linked in and we are truly harnessing the full potential of our species. The Athenians invented Western civilization with 50,000 people and a little freedom. Imagine what we could do with six billion and real liberty.
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