Real Power

As economic models of selfishness and competition evolve under pressure from the open-source philosophy, a new "science of happiness" has sprung up to analyze what – beyond monetary rewards for specific tasks – really satisfies us. One of the answers, it seems, is connection to others, and an important role in shapping our own world. If that sounds softheaded, consider the backlash. Sharing knowledge is a serious threat to the status quo. China is forcing Internet companies to turn over digital information on dissents. Hollywood and the music industry are pushing for tougher patent and copyright laws. The bottom line is something that Smith would not dispute: groups have greater stores of knowledge than individuals. And knowledge is power. Not soft power. Real power.

Foroohar, Rana - Learning to Share. In «Issues 2006», Nova Iorque: Newsweek, 2005, p. 42