A lot of people know the what about Julian and WikiLeaks – that they published secret information – but they don't know the why. And that's unfortunate, because the thinking behind all the leaks is both brilliant and illuminating.

It Began With The Cypherpunks

WikiLeaks, like Bitcoin, came from the cypherpunks. In particular, WikiLeaks was spawned by a cypherpunk group that formed spontaneously in Melbourne, Australia.

In other words, WikiLeaks is the creation of some smart guys who were inspired by Timothy C. May, Eric Hughes, Murray Rothbard, and a few others. Assange was part of this group and an intriguing thinker in his own right.

Julian explained what WikiLeaks would be doing, and why, back in 2006. (You can still find a copy here.) Given the worldwide recognition of WikiLeaks, it's a little crazy that this is so little known and discussed, but I'll do my part to change that condition.

The Core Ideas
Assange starts out by describing modern governance as conspiracy. He invokes Teddy Roosevelt, who said, "Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people."

Assange calls these conspirators "neocorporatists," referring to the entire complex of legislators, bureaucrats, and the corporations to whom they sell "access" and legislation. 

He goes on to describe them as existing in elaborate networks, a theme that Jonathan Logan and I examined in The New Age of Intelligence and that was the subject of a study in 2011 by Vitali, Glattfelder, and Battiston, entitled The Network of Global Corporate Control.