Recommendations for Cypherpunks Books

[Jim Choate]

On Sat, 20 Jan 2001, Foobulus Baracculus wrote:

> Perhaps I can offer a starting point:
> 
> First tier (works that are specifically focused on cryptographic 
> technologies):
> 
> (1) - books on future worlds and spaces: in particular, those that explore 
> social, moral, political, technical, ethical issues (to be science fiction), 
> or those that merely explore worlds (to be fantasy)

I see the utility in fiction to tell us what is most likely not to happen.

> (2) - books on cryptography theory and systems: from the basic theory 
> (cryptography primitives), to the high level systems (public key 
> infrastructure).
>
> (3) - books on privacy, ethics and social questions: defining good and bad 
> cryptography in the various contexts (low level technical, high level 
> social), including politics (trade barriers).

'defining good and bad'? Not possible, there are no absolute standards by
which to judge. I also think it is important that there be specific
identification and discussion on issues which aren't ameniable to
'technical means'.

There was a problem posed on the list in it's early years. I don't
remember it exactly and I'm not motivated to search, but I'll try to do it
justice.

Assume for a moment that you are a peasant in some country, say N. Korea.
There's no food, little work, nearly non-existant medicine, no free
speech/press, no right to try at the individual level to try to change
things (the hallmark of any enlightened society I suspect). The US flies a
plane over and drops everyone some sort of PDA widget. Now, assume in
addition your child is sick and you believe she may die. How do you use
the device to save her life?

> Second tier (works that are more general and not specifically focused on 
> cryptographic technologies):
> 
> - second tier to (1) - general science fiction and fantasy exploration of 
> future worlds involving technology or otherwise, but not primarily focused 
> on cryptography (technical, social or ethnographical)
>
> - second tier to (2) - general mathematics, communications and computing, 
> such as number theory, quantum computing, dna computing, internetworking 
> systems, identity management.
>
> - second tier to (3) - general computing and technology issues of privacy, 
> ethics, sociology, ethology.
> 
> What I would enjoy reading:
>
> - books on cryptoterrorism and cryptoliberation, where a major part of the 
> plot revolves around the use of cryptography technologies in terrorism or 
> liberation.

Not a lot, some about viruses and such. There's not a lot of glammer in
it.

> - books on cryptocommunities, where a major part of the plot revolves around 
> people that are "cryptoheads" and for which cryptography and technology is a 
> major part of their lifestyle (people who somewhat live, breathe and eat 
> cryptography).

Ugh. The thought of a community that is so paranoid it exist through
ubiquitous crypto is a bit self-contradictory I think. Who would you trust
to make the technology? How would anyone have the time to make the horde
of technologies this sort of society requires? This aspect is one reason I
believe that the only way that the human race can survive is to get off
this mudball ASAP. To that end requires a ubiquitous technology of similar
scale and scope as that required for your hypothesis. I also believe that
this paranoia will eventually lead (rightly so I might add) society to
break into 'families' or 'arcologies'. You want have a job so much as
you'll be a member in a large family business. One of the major current
issues which I strongly believe is being completely overlooked is the
impact of the coming life extension/cloning technology will mean to
individual lifetimes. I contend that anyone is alive in 2020 will live to
be at least 150 years old. I'll further predict that within that 150 years
it will be further extended. The impact on human society of this will be
like nothing this species has faced before. It's at most 500 years away.

The society which comes out of this will also be like nothing that has
ever existed before. It will represent a true revolution in society.
Anarchist, Socialist, Democratist, Crypt-anarchist, whatever 'ist is your
favorite are all passe, dead as the Dodo. They just don't know it yet.

Technology will support the very first truely consensual society. I do
believe that 'privacy' will not exist as we understand it today. Economies
based on competition (ideal or real-world) will not exist either.
Economies of scale will swallow them up and spit out their bleached bones.
This means that in as little as a thousand years 'business' as we see them
today will cease to exist.

There is an alternative, inbreeding.

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