1st Edition

Cypherpunk Ethics Radical Ethics for the Digital Age

By Patrick D. Anderson Copyright 2022
142 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

142 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

142 Pages 1 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Cypherpunk Ethics explores the moral worldview of the cypherpunks, a movement that advocates the use of strong digital cryptography—or crypto, for short—to defend individual privacy and promote institutional transparency in the digital age. Focusing on the writings of Timothy May and Julian Assange, two of the most prolific and influential cypherpunks, the book examines two competing... Read more

Preface
Acknowledgements

1. Introduction
Privacy for the Weak, Transparency for the Powerful
Hackers, Cyberpunks, and Cypherpunks
Toward a Cypherpunk Ethics

2. Crypto!
Introduction
A Brief Introduction to Cryptography
The Public Key Crypto Revolution
Digital Crypto as a Convivial Tool       
Conclusion

3. Cypherpunk Meta-Ethics
Introduction
Timothy May’s Crypto Anarchy
Julian Assange’s Crypto Justice
Conclusion

4. Cypherpunk Theories of the State
Introduction
Crypto Anarchy and Libertarian Society
Crypto Justice and the Cybernetic State
Conclusion

5. Privacy for the Weak
Introduction
Data, Surveillance, Crypto
Anarchy, Justice, Privacy
Cryptocurrencies as Anarchist Cash
Conclusion

6. Transparency for the Powerful
Introduction
Information, Markets, and Information Markets
WikiLeaks I: Leaks and Conspiracies
WikiLeaks II: Scientific Journalism
Conclusion

7. Information Wants to be Free
Introduction
On Censorship
On “Intellectual Property”
On Free Software and Open Access
Conclusion

8. Conclusion
A Tale of Two Cryptographers
Toward a Convivial Future

References
Index

Biography

Patrick D. Anderson is Assistant Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Humanities at Central State University, USA, and editor-in-chief of the WikiLeaks Bibliography.