There’s something wonderful about this …. unless you’re a dictator. Today, The New York Times shines a good light on Gene Sharp, a shy American intellectual who has spent decades writing on the art of non-violent revolution. Back in 2002, Sharp published “From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation,” a 93-page guide to upending autocrats. Then, he had the text translated into 24 languages and made freely available online, with all copyright restrictions removed. The manual has since inspired dissidents in Burma, Bosnia and Estonia, while giving strategic direction to the protests in Egypt and Tunisia. Ideas have power. But good ideas have more power when they’re open. You can download Sharp’s manual here (PDF), and learn more about his mission through his nonprofit, The Albert Einstein Institution.
Speaking of good ideas that are open, feel free to download 35o free online courses and teach yourself anything and everything.
via @philosophybites
