Glenn Harlan Reynolds (born 1960) is Beauchamp Brogan Distinguished Professor of
LawLaw is a system of rules, usually enforced through a set of institutions. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a primary social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus ticket to trading on derivatives markets...
at the
University of TennesseeThe University of Tennessee , sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville...
, and is best known for his weblog,
InstapunditInstapundit is a United States political blog produced by Glenn Reynolds, a law professor at the University of Tennessee. It is one of the most widely read blogs with political content...
, one of the most widely read American political weblogs.
Reynolds is often described as conservative, but holds liberal views on social issues such as
abortionThe abortion debate refers to discussion and controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of abortion. The two main groups involved in the abortion debate are the pro-choice movement, and the pro-life movement. Each movement has, with varying results, sought to influence public opinion and...
, the
War on DrugsThe War on Drugs refers to the controversial prohibition campaign undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade. This initiative includes a set of laws and policies that are intended to...
and gay marriage. He describes himself as a libertarian and more specifically a
libertarian transhumanistLibertarian transhumanism is a political ideology synthesizing libertarianism and transhumanism.Self-identified libertarian transhumanists, such as Ronald Bailey of Reason magazine and Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit, are advocates of the asserted "right to human enhancement" who argue that the free...
.
Glenn Harlan Reynolds (born 1960) is Beauchamp Brogan Distinguished Professor of
LawLaw is a system of rules, usually enforced through a set of institutions. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a primary social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus ticket to trading on derivatives markets...
at the
University of TennesseeThe University of Tennessee , sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville...
, and is best known for his weblog,
InstapunditInstapundit is a United States political blog produced by Glenn Reynolds, a law professor at the University of Tennessee. It is one of the most widely read blogs with political content...
, one of the most widely read American political weblogs.
Reynolds is often described as conservative, but holds liberal views on social issues such as
abortionThe abortion debate refers to discussion and controversy surrounding the moral and legal status of abortion. The two main groups involved in the abortion debate are the pro-choice movement, and the pro-life movement. Each movement has, with varying results, sought to influence public opinion and...
, the
War on DrugsThe War on Drugs refers to the controversial prohibition campaign undertaken by the United States government, with the assistance of participating countries, intended to both define and reduce the illegal drug trade. This initiative includes a set of laws and policies that are intended to...
and gay marriage. He describes himself as a libertarian and more specifically a
libertarian transhumanistLibertarian transhumanism is a political ideology synthesizing libertarianism and transhumanism.Self-identified libertarian transhumanists, such as Ronald Bailey of Reason magazine and Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit, are advocates of the asserted "right to human enhancement" who argue that the free...
. He customarily illustrates his combination of views by stating: "I'd be delighted to live in a country where happily married gay couples had closets full of assault weapons." He is a strong supporter of
PorkbustersPorkbusters is an effort led by mostly conservative and libertarian bloggers to cut pork barrel spending by the U.S. Congress in order to help pay for projects....
and the
Iraq WarThe Iraq War, also known as the Occupation of Iraq or Operation Iraqi Freedom, is an ongoing military campaign which began on March 20, 2003 with the invasion of Iraq by a multinational force led by troops from the United States and the United Kingdom.Prior to the war, the governments of the United...
. He has been critical of left-wing transhumanism, which he believes could lead to a
Brave New WorldBrave New World is a novel by Aldous Huxley, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Set in the London of AD 2540 , the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology and sleep-learning that combine to change society. The future society is an embodiment of the ideals that form the basis...
-like situation of
totalitarian governmentTotalitarianism is a political system where the state, usually under the control of a single party or faction, recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
.
On October 25, 2007, Reynolds wrote that he was a former member of the
Libertarian PartyThe Libertarian Party is a United States political party founded on December 11, 1971.In the 30 states where voters can register by party there are over 200,000 voters registered with the Libertarian Party, making it one of the largest of America's alternative political parties...
.
In 2006, he released the book
An Army of Davids: How Markets and Technology Empower Ordinary People to Beat Big Media, Big Government, and Other Goliaths, which covered the various ways in which modern technology is changing society by allowing amateur individuals to do things that previously only large, well-funded organizations were equipped to do.
Reynolds was a finalist for the
World Technology Network's 2004 Media and Journalism award. In his remarks, he said:
- Changes in technology are producing major changes in media and journalism. Journalism is becoming an activity, not simply a profession. In my InstaPundit.com weblog I have tried to foster the growth of amateurism in that field, by encouraging people to get involved and to make use of the new tools—from Web publishing to inexpensive digital still and video cameras—to bring news and perspectives to the world stage that were previously lacking.
Reynolds is a frequent contributor to
Popular Mechanics Magazine, where he writes about broad legal and practical issues in the digital age, and sometimes participates in their coverage of events such as the
Consumer Electronics ShowThe International Consumer Electronics Show is a non-public trade show held each January in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association. At the show, many previews of products are introduced, or new products are announced. The show is held at the Las Vegas...
. He has also written for
Forbes,
The Atlantic,
The New York Times, the
Washington Post, the
Wall Street Journal, and numerous other publications.
Reynolds also ran his own music label WonderDog Records, for which he also served as a
record producerIn the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes...
.
Personal
Reynolds grew up a
MethodistMethodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to Reverend John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement in the Anglican Church. His younger brother...
but is now a
PresbyterianPresbyterianism is the religion of a number of different Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, and organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity...
.
He is married to
Dr. Helen SmithHelen Smith is a forensic psychologist in Knoxville, Tennessee who specializes in violent children and adults. She holds a PhD from the University of Tennessee and masters degrees from The New School for Social Research and the City University of New York...
, a forensic psychologist. The couple, who have a daughter, produce a podcast,
The Glenn and Helen Show, approximately once per week, and Reynolds now hosts a video talk show on his own, InstaVision, for Pajamas Media.
Books Authored
- Outer Space: Problems of Law and Policy (1989), ISBN 0-8133-7622-X (with Robert P. Merges); 2nd ed. (1997), ISBN 0-8133-1802-5
- The Appearance of Impropriety: How the Ethics Wars Have Undermined American Government, Business, and Society (1997), ISBN 0-684-82764-6 (with Peter W. Morgan)
- An Army of Davids: How Markets and Technology Empower Ordinary People to Beat Big Media, Big Government, and Other Goliaths (2006), ISBN 1-59555-054-2
External links