Howard Rheingold (Smart Mobs) gave an informal lunchtime talk at the Berkman Center. Dave Winer recorded it and has posted the mp3. It was, of course, a terrific session; I am a huge fan. Howard isn’t optimistic (“Who can be these days?”) but he is hopeful. He’s working on establishing an inter-disciplinary study of cooperation.

Two little things I learned, besides having my Big Picture adjusted: First, the phrase “critical thinking” is considered by large parts of the country as a code word for communism. Second, Howard said that in blogging, we’re treaching one another how to think critically. He didn’t elaborate, but I take him to mean that by commenting and counter-blogging, we’re learning how to put an argument together and how to take one apart, how to evaluate sources, etc. Nice insight.

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