A Forbes columnist who is normally asked for his opinions on the best big screen TV to buy or what you should look for in a digital camera has been frantically trying to convince the world that Stanford University law professor Larry Lessig's ideas are for the birds. Recently, though, Stephen Manes sunk to a new low . He called Lessig a moron — no, really, that's what passes for intelligent debate nowadays in the land of Thomas Jefferson — and his headline writer decided that we needed less of Lessig (and presumably , more of Manes.) [Read Lessig's reply to Manes]
Now it's true that calling for less of something is often a good idea. I think we can all agree that we need less war. I could use less weight and my family wishes I would spend less time at work. But I don't think anyone — particularly writers and those engaged in discussion and debate — would ever call for less writers and debaters. More is always better, no matter what opinions are expressed. In fact, it's very often when somebody says, “Right, that's it, less debate and discussion” that we often get more war — which we are agreed that we want less of.
But if Forbes is forcing me to choose between less Manes or less Lessig, I'm sorry to say Forbes should ditch Manes and hire Lessig. He's a better writer, a better thinker, and he almost never calls people morons. And anyhow, I'm probably more interested in Lessig's recommendations for big screen TVs and digital cameras.