Abstract

In this talk, Professor Lessig will describe the peculiar way that the idea of democracy has evolved in America, and the challenge that creates for America and the world.

Speaker Bio

Professor Lawrence Lessig

Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership
Harvard Law School

Professor Lawrence Lessig is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School. Prior to returning to Harvard, he taught at Stanford Law School, where he founded the Center for Internet and Society, and at the University of Chicago.

Professor Lessig is a founding board member of Creative Commons. He serves on the Scientific Board of AXA Research Fund. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Association, he has received numerous awards, including a Webby, the Free Software Foundation's Freedom Award, Scientific American 50 Award, and the Fastcase 50 Award.

Cited by The New Yorker as “the most important thinker on intellectual property in the Internet era,” Professor Lessig has focused much of his career on law and technology, especially as it affects copyright. His current work addresses “institutional corruption”—relationships which, while legal, weaken public trust in an institution—especially as that affects democracy.

His books include: Republic, Lost v2 (2015), Republic, Lost (2011), Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy (2008), Code v2 (2006), The Future of Ideas (2001), and Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace (1999).

Professor Lessig holds a BA in economics and a BS in management from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in philosophy from Cambridge University, and a JD from Yale.

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