The Power of Unreasonable People: How Social Entrepreneurs Create Markets That Change the World

FIVE

Democratizing Technology

CAN YOU PICTURE Mahatma Gandhi toting a video camera to expose human rights abuses, flying a jet plane to ship in relief supplies to devastated communities, or genetically engineering a crop plant to provide more nutritious foods for the hungry? Probably not, but for many social entrepreneurs, Gandhi has been a lifelong inspiration, their beacon and navigational reference point. Not only did he promote self-sufficiency with his goats and spinning wheels, but he also helped catalyze systemwide change. He shook the British Raj to its roots with his astonishing march to the sea to boil salt, evading the much-hated salt tax. Today, a growing number of social entrepreneurs carry his torch, but many do so using technologies ...