Battling technical difficulties to which fellow members of the Theory-Lyotard-Badiou-Event mailing list had proved strangely immune, Infinite Thought has finally pronounced upon this curious affair of pulled blogs and postmodern heutagogy.
Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2005 12:45:59 +0000
Reply-To: "Discussion of J-F-Lyotard, Alain Badiou,the Event"
[THEORY-LYOTARD-BADIOU-EVENT@MAILTALK.AC.UK]
Sender: "Discussion of J-F-Lyotard, Alain Badiou,the Event"
[THEORY-LYOTARD-BADIOU-EVENT@MAILTALK.AC.UK]
From: Infinite Thought
Subject: Re: stealing...
In-Reply-To: [3584.80.241.72.42.1126087330.squirrel@www.krokodile.co.uk]
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Dear all,
As the author of the piece on humanism originally posted on Long Sunday (http://www.long-sunday.net/long_sunday/2005/08/humanism.html), I thought I would respond on this list (as a version of my piece was apparently also posted over here).
I must confess I am rather bemused by the whole thing. It does appear that the author of the 'zoo or letters not about things' blog produced a paraphrastic but recognisable version of my original piece and posted it without reference to its provenance (although the 'copy' has now been removed, and obviously a confession of sorts has turned up on this list).
It was not until the author of the sphaleotas blog emailed me (having come across the piece in some other search) that I knew anything about this - obviously I would have preferred a discussion of my piece that I was aware of (not least because I am extremely interested in the topics humanism/antihumanism/inhumanism etc. and others' reactions to them). Was my piece deemed to be interesting? (in which case why not respond in the comments on Long Sunday, or at least link to it so I could trace it via Technorati?), or is randomly aping the work of others (which in itself is no small labour) par for the course on the internet?
Obviously there is no question of 'copyright' here - I posted the original piece precisely 'without status' so to speak, in order to stimulate (hopefully) some kind of debate. Nevertheless, as a good, if cynical, rationalist, I also believe in the idea that 'I' indeed wrote it, that a link to the original would not have gone amiss, and, more to the point, that one is bound to be found out sooner rather than later, and it's probably more politic to admit where one is getting ideas from than not.
I'm not so sure I would describe the issue as one of 'intellectual property rights' - after all, I posted a piece online and not in a journal or book, but I am generally a little saddened by the idea of instigating a potentially fruitful debate, but being barred from viewing its outcome.
I would still not be adverse to such a debate, however, especially as I've now signed up to this list.
Best, Nina (aka Infinite Thought)
>From: Steve Devos
>Reply-To: "Discussion of J-F-Lyotard, Alain Badiou,the Event"
>
>To: THEORY-LYOTARD-BADIOU-EVENT@MAILTALK.AC.UK
>Subject: stealing...
>Date: Wed, 7 Sep 2005 11:02:10 +0100
>
>all
>
>recently i stole a text from a blog (infinitethoughts), an act which i
>have been told over the interveneing time, sometimes humourously sometimes
>not was an unethical act. This is possibly true but I'm really not sure
>that ethics and property rights can meet in this way.
>
>In amoungst the complaints and insults over this act of plagerism
>(stealing) that I've recieved since i posted the stolen text here on the
>list and by error on a blog (since made private which it was originally
>supposed to be ...). A number of curious things stand out which have some
>interesting consequences. Firstly - there is a surprising belief in
>intellectual ownership, which is to say in the intellectual property
>rights of the writer over the text. Secondly that the commentators do not
>appear to understand the extent to which objects/text etc are now being
>used in whatever way the reader chooses.
>
>In the first case - it is so long since I've lived in circles that
>believed in such things that I've been surprised by the extent of the
>belief. Is it your opinion that a text or other object on the net is
>'authored' or
>written in this sense ? In which case what is the ethical status of the
>downloading of objects ? Is there a difference between an individuals
>intellectual property rights and an institutions intellectual property
>rights ? This last case is surely a case of sameness not of difference ?
>
>The second case is practically even more interesting because by default
>the emails do not appear to understand the extent to which current
>educational practice is being affected by students stealing text and using
>it within essays, on the understandable basis that they will improve their
>marks.
>
>If the commentator differentiates the case of a student stealing a text,
>plagerising an essay, downloading an object and my own act of stealing -
>what is the meaning of this moral inconsistency ?
>
>I of course did the steal the text - and whilst I probably won't do it
>again, I do not really consider it as a straightforward issue - because of
>the implication (that has been raised to me) of merging the consideration
>of my ethical misbehavior with the demand that I respect intellectual
>property rights.
>
>s
>
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