A Time line of milestones from Citadel to the Bazaar 

Ancient age 

 In the ancient age when human civilization started writing. Egyptian hieroglyphs are considered the first formal writing system which was a gradual evolution of lot of different proto-writing systems. It was a highly matured civilization with great intellectuals and creators. Whoever had knowledge and knew writing used to share their thoughts on the walls of the caves and stone structures.  This accumulation of knowledge was sporadic and scattered, similar to small disjointed Bazaars. 

The Library of Alexandria – A Citadel of Excellence 

When Alexander the Great sensed a dire need to bring together all this knowledge, he ideated The Library of Alexandria. He died before his dream took shape.  The Library of Alexandria lived on, as a citadel of excellence. Scholars from across the world were invited by the Pharos of Egypt to come and conduct their studies in Alexandria. The library grew with millions of papyrus scrolls holding the story of the prehistoric era and their inventions. Sadly, The Library of Alexandria was burnt down to ashes by Julius Cesar in 48 BC. It is believed that this single incident set back the human civilization by 1000 years. 

Roman Era and Middle Ages – Wealthy Appropriated All Learning 

Then came the Roman era followed by Middle Ages. This was a period of aristocracy but not without its share of excesses. All luxury was confined to only to the opulent segment of the society. So was learning. The acquisition of money through labour was seen as a strictly lower-class endeavour. The pursuit of knowledge which was only for its own sake, was commended and admired. This once more created a citadel of learning, meant for the wealthy who could afford it, 

The Mid 1600s – Back to the Bazaar, Great Advances Pioneered by Amateurs 

In 1646, the journey of learning took a sharp turn towards absolute obsolescence. The world was suffering from its worst pandemic and people needed respite from the continuous fear and scarcity. Inspired by Bacon’s writing a group of philosophers, doctors and amateur astronomers and mathematicians formed an “Institution of Learning”, they called the “Invisible college”. It was a place for people to share their thoughts and ideas. Later in 1660, this went on to become the famous “Royal Society”. For the next one hundred years Royal Society members, all amateurs from Bazaars, by our contemporary definition-were responsible for some of the greatest advances in human knowledge. 

The word amateur comes from a Latin word amare, which means “to love”. This was embodied in the human form of gentleman scholars. Most of these members pursued multiple interest areas. For example, Sir Isaac Newton was at once a Mathematician, Physicist, Astronomer, Alchemist, Theologian and writer, Michelangelo from an earlier era was an artist, sculptor, architect, Poet, Leonardo Da Vinci - An Engineer, Scientist, Theorist, Sculptor, Architect and a painter. 

Renaissance and the Flowering of a New Bazaar of Ideas and Learning 

This era was called Renaissance which meant renewal. It was an era of beautiful ideas, creativity and human ingenuity where a model citizen could wield the pen, the plough and the protractor with equal aptitude. It gave rise to interesting and interested individuals. But it was not to last. 

Industrial Revolution and the Backward Swing towards the Citadel 

The first phase of industrial revolution in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries required increased specialization.  This led to the reduction of every man’s business to some “one simple operation”.  A citadel started building up with strong boundaries of processes, rigorous methodologies and rules. And a kind of animosity started developing towards the tradition of amateurism. 

The Internet Age Sparks a New Renaissance all over Again  

In the new millennium, post 2005 with the internet boom, there is a progressive return of the amateur to the centre of things as it was during Renaissance. 

Learning for all and Learning Powered by all 

For instance, a company called InnoCentive has figured out a way to tap the overflowing talents of some 140,000 self-made scientists, in over 170 countries, whose meaningful projects are sitting at the backyards of their home crafted and interest led labs. A Scientist of InnoCentive may live in a small town of India and after she prepares dinner and sends her kids to bed, she dons her old lab coat, puts away her cooking utensils and carefully starts her work with a lab flask in hand. InncoCentive’s clients include Fortune 500 firms like Procter & Gamble(P&G), DuPont BASF etc. Most rewards for a successful solution can be between $10,000 to $100,000. However, money is not a primary motive for these scientists but recognition of their work. 

There are hundreds of such organizations mushrooming in various fields. The Wikipedia, Linux and iStock model is being replicated all across the world

All these just scratch the surface. Signs of an amateur renaissance are all around us. There are many platforms operating under the most optimistic assumption that, there is a Bazaar filled with amateur talents who have the answer for their question. 

A Revolution of Self-Led Learning – Pendulum Swings to the Bazaar Again 

We are at the cusp of an era of self-led learning, where people do not wait for a university to educate them on a particular skill. They will educate themselves through the digital bazaar. And the ones who are resistant to this idea will be left behind. The pendulum is again swinging from citadel to bazaar! 

(Adapted from:  Crowdsourcing – Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business by Jeff Howe and open source published content)