Saturday, October 28, 2006

Only free sources

As it seems that I am starting again to write something which may be called scientific papers, I have to explain in short my long term idea about not dealing with closed sources.

Myths
Knowledge has to be free. I see no reason against it. Fears like "what if knowledge comes into wrong hands" are irrational because, if speaking in such manner, knowledge is already in the wrong hands: if it is in right hands, we would not have wars, poverty and all other huge problems of contemporary humanity. However, for making a gun more things are needed then only knowledge: the whole complex of industries is needed for such thing.

On the other side, the most of manipulations through known and unknown history are made only because knowledge was not and is not accessible to the public. There are so much events related to this that I don't have any reason to make any example.

And Internet made a lot on knowledge liberation. In this moment all people who may use Internet and English language are able to find a lot of information. If they are using it well, there are a small chances that someone lying them about some obvious thing.

There is Wikipedia, too -- with 1.5 millions of articles which covers the most important parts of human life. Today, people are free to know a lot of things which was just ten years ago a privilege of having a good library in the city and a lot of free time. Because of that, I hope that a wide range of manipulations is not possible anymore.

Ignore them!
But, this is not the end of the struggle for free knowledge. There is a lot of scientific work which is done out of public. A lot of kinds information are available only to small group of people because of particular selfish interests. At least, people have to buy a book or paper to be able to know something. But, this is at least. Try to learn how your mobile phone is working. Try to find what is the technology of making food which you are eating. Try to find how any other completely ordinary process is working. At least, you will need a lot of time even it is not necessary.

In the known history, conditions to make knowledge really free are the best today. We have a lot of people who are working together in building free knowledge. Thanks to Internet, today we are almost able to ignore non-free knowledge. And we should do so! If we don't refer to non-free knowledge, we would be able to make a strong social and economic pressure to the people who are making non-free knowledge. Internet is our territory and they depends of Internet.

I don't read books nor newspapers. I read only books and news on the net. Of course, I am not so dogmatic, but I don't remember when I read some book last time. I don't remember even when I bought some newspaper last time. I don't need them. And I don't feel any frustration because of that. I have Internet.

Of course, the questions are what would be if I wouldn't have access to Internet and what about people who don't have access to Internet? Yes, I wouldn't be able to access to free knowledge and, yes, people who don't have access to Internet don't have (at least good) access to free knowledge. But, this is the problem which should be solved in other ways. One of such ways is that people who are able to access to free knowledge should help to people who are not able: in their neighborhood as well as on the other side of the planet.

Possible logical fallacy?
No, I am not saying that anyone should ignore facts only because they are incorporated inside of non-free knowledge. Yes, I know that a lot of knowledge is not free today. So, yes, we should use it if it is necessary.

Yes, I know that a lot of scientist are not able to contribute free knowledge. Maybe they would like it, but they don't understand free knowledge concepts or they are not able to put their knowledge as free. If we are able, we should talk with them and we should try to explain them what is free knowledge. I found a lot of scientists who were delighted when they had been found firstly Internet, then Wikipedia. A lot of them want to participate in making free knowledge. So, help them. It is not so easy to learn new concepts in the old ages. And some young person, even (s)he doesn't have so big knowledge -- may help to some scientist in using computers, Internet, Wikipedia or whatever -- in making free knowledge.

Conclusion
Inside of something which may be treated as my scientific work, I will not use non-free knowledge if it is possible: I will not use restrictively copyrighted books if there are books which are not copyrighted; I will not use restrictively copyrighted periodicals if I don't need. And I am calling all others to do so.