The Boy Who Could Change the World: The Writings of Aaron Swartz

In 2013, Swartz took his own life at the age of 26. He had been highly regarded as a programmer and activist, having participated in the creation of RSS, Creative Commons, reddit, and a host of projects devoted to open access, free speech, and political reform. Swartz was a prolific writer, blogger, and author of various speeches, papers, and book projects. In this selection of writings from 2001 to 2012, he opines on open access, Wikipedia, SOPA/PIPA, programming culture, copyright law, political corruption, media bias, and the American educational system. He shows himself to be profoundly curious, constantly interrogating systems and questioning cultural assumptions. This book is organized around key themes with introductory remarks supplied by Swartz's closest collaborators and peers in technology and open-culture advocacy, including Lawrence Lessig and Cory Doctorow. Each speaks to Swartz's particular genius for identifying systemic problems, suggesting solutions, and inspiring others to create something better.