Phil Salin
Encyclopedia
Phillip Kenneth Salin was an American economist
and futurist, best known for his contributions to theories about the development of cyberspace
and as a proponent of private (non-governmental) space exploration
and development.
Salin was born in Hollywood, California and raised in San Rafael, California
. Salin's father was Lothar Salin, a printer and public interest activist in San Rafael, and part of the General Semantics
movement. His grandfather was Edgar Salin, an historian/economist/philosopher at Basel
, Switzerland
and a leader of the so-called "Historical School" of political and social philosophy. Salin earned a Bachelor of Arts
in Economics
from UCLA
in 1970, and a Master of Business Administration
from Stanford University
. He did postgraduate studies with James G. March at Stanford University.
In 1984 Salin founded the American Information Exchange
(AMIX), a network for the exchange of research and information. AMIX struggled to create the infrastructure required to establish an online exchange and the enterprise folded in 1991. In 1999 Doc Searls
told Salon
about the challenges Salin faced, "Phil had to create his own Internet
. In hindsight, it couldn't be done ... The time really is now. It wasn't then, much as we wanted it to be."
Salin opposed patents on software because of the possibility that they could result in ideas which could be controlled by the government and corporations, infringing on freedom of speech
.
Politically, Salin was a libertarian
and Austrian economist. He was a science fiction
fan, and his major influences and favorite writers included Robert A. Heinlein
, Ayn Rand
, Friedrich Hayek
, Karl Popper
, [von Mises] and other Austrian economists and political philosophers. He enjoyed fantasy, collected comic books, and read voluminously in all areas of fantasy and science fiction. He was also a fan of classical music
.
Salin died of stomach cancer
in December 1991.
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
and futurist, best known for his contributions to theories about the development of cyberspace
Cyberspace
Cyberspace is the electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.The term "cyberspace" was first used by the cyberpunk science fiction author William Gibson, though the concept was described somewhat earlier, for example in the Vernor Vinge short story "True...
and as a proponent of private (non-governmental) space exploration
Space exploration
Space exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
and development.
Salin was born in Hollywood, California and raised in San Rafael, California
San Rafael, California
San Rafael is a city and the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. The city is located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area...
. Salin's father was Lothar Salin, a printer and public interest activist in San Rafael, and part of the General Semantics
General Semantics
General semantics is a program begun in the 1920's that seeks to regulate the evaluative operations performed in the human brain. After partial program launches under the trial names "human engineering" and "humanology," Polish-American originator Alfred Korzybski fully launched the program as...
movement. His grandfather was Edgar Salin, an historian/economist/philosopher at Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and a leader of the so-called "Historical School" of political and social philosophy. Salin earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
from UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
in 1970, and a Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. He did postgraduate studies with James G. March at Stanford University.
In 1984 Salin founded the American Information Exchange
American Information Exchange
The American Information Exchange was a platform for the buying and selling of information, goods and services as well as the exchange of information, ideas, and certain kinds of intellectual work product, created by economist and futurist Phil Salin in the 1980s.Starting in 1984, Salin worked to...
(AMIX), a network for the exchange of research and information. AMIX struggled to create the infrastructure required to establish an online exchange and the enterprise folded in 1991. In 1999 Doc Searls
Doc Searls
David "Doc" Searls , co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto, is an American journalist, columnist, author and a widely-read blogger, a fellow at the Center for Information Technology & Society at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a fellow alumnus of the Berkman Center for Internet &...
told Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
about the challenges Salin faced, "Phil had to create his own Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. In hindsight, it couldn't be done ... The time really is now. It wasn't then, much as we wanted it to be."
Salin opposed patents on software because of the possibility that they could result in ideas which could be controlled by the government and corporations, infringing on freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
.
Politically, Salin was a libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
and Austrian economist. He was a science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
fan, and his major influences and favorite writers included Robert A. Heinlein
Robert A. Heinlein
Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction writer. Often called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was one of the most influential and controversial authors of the genre. He set a standard for science and engineering plausibility and helped to raise the genre's standards of...
, Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
, Friedrich Hayek
Friedrich Hayek
Friedrich August Hayek CH , born in Austria-Hungary as Friedrich August von Hayek, was an economist and philosopher best known for his defense of classical liberalism and free-market capitalism against socialist and collectivist thought...
, Karl Popper
Karl Popper
Sir Karl Raimund Popper, CH FRS FBA was an Austro-British philosopher and a professor at the London School of Economics...
, [von Mises] and other Austrian economists and political philosophers. He enjoyed fantasy, collected comic books, and read voluminously in all areas of fantasy and science fiction. He was also a fan of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
.
Salin died of stomach cancer
Stomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
in December 1991.