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Don’t Apologize with Author Tyler Cowen

From the author of ‘Create your Own Economy’, Tyler Cowen says there’s no call to apologize for virtual worlds. Don’t act as if virtual goods are somehow different or lesser than ‘real’ goods. Don’t act as if autistic cognitive styles are necessarily worse than others. Don’t act as if writing a blog is a less worthy endeavor than traditional academic work. In other words, ‘there is nothing special about ‘meatspace’.

More broadly, best-selling author Tyler Cowen examines the trends, impact and challenges presented by the overflow of information on the Web. He explores how access to knowledge and on-line communities are changing the nature of work and allowing each of us to ‘create our own economies’. As the impact of Web 2.0 on culture increases, he proposes that we learn from seemingly unusual places: from the neuro-diverse, for example, whose learning and processing styles may be an empowering and valuable source of insight into how we’ll cope and change with the increasing ubiquity of technology.

And he proposes that the early lessons being learned in places like Second Life are a prism through which we can understand how personal empowerment and our ability to take control of our own interests, to create our OWN economies, is leading the way to societal change.

On November 18, 2009 at 12pm PST Metanomics host Robert Bloomfield interviewed Professor Tyler Cowen about his many works, including blogs, magazine articles, interviews and books . Watch the video above for a discussion on Professor Cowen’s new book ‘Create your own Economy: The Path to Prosperity in a Disordered World’ and the professional world’s attitude to virtual worlds.

Guest Biographies

Tyler Cowen

Tyler Cowen is Holbert C. Harris Professor of Economics at George Mason University and he blogs regularly at www.marginalrevolution.com. He is the author of ten books, including Discover Your Inner Economist and Create Your Own Economy: The Path to Prosperity in a Disordered World. He writes regularly for The New York Times, Money magazine, and numerous other outlets. Tylercowen is his Twitter feed.