In 1787, Thomas Jefferson put a stuffed American moose in the lobby of his Paris residence. As the U.S. minister to France, Jefferson displayed the moose to powerfully symbolize the enormous possibilities of America. The new world of the Internet has equally vast possibilities and, like North America in Jefferson’s day, its landscape remains largely unexplored.
In his new book, In Search of Jefferson’s Moose: Notes on the State of Cyberspace, David Post draws remarkable and entertaining parallels between the Internet and the natural and intellectual landscape that Thomas Jefferson explored, documented, and shaped. Creatively drawing on Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia, Post describes how the Internet functions technically and applies Jefferson’s views on natural history, law, and governance to the unfolding complexities of cyberspace.
Jefferson’s Moose is a book for both fans of Thomas Jefferson and for fans of the Internet, each of whom should know more about the other topic. Come hear Professor Post present the ideas from In Search of Jefferson’s Moose, with commentary from two equally insightful writers.