tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post2081023969825396348..comments2024-03-28T02:46:03.227-04:00Comments on The Historical Society: Plagiarism: Getting the Point AcrossRandallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16755286304057000048noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-41611077746436879562011-02-25T11:51:41.481-05:002011-02-25T11:51:41.481-05:00I'm curious about Joe's position, here. W...I'm curious about Joe's position, here. We're talking about creative thinking, I assume; since it makes no sense to argue about plagiarism in the case of 2+2=4? So I'm not seeing why saying that a particular person had a particular idea is a bad idea? I agree that there are many areas where intellectual property as it's currently construed is too restrictive. Patenting the genome is absurd, and a lot of our legal restrictions seem too arbitrary, and seem to ignore the fact that we're all standing on the shoulders of those who went before us. <br /><br />But even so, I'd like my students to try to think a problem through on their own, rather than just google, cut and paste. I think the assumption is that there's something to be gained from the thought process. Not that the student is necessarily going to come up with a unique and never-before articulated answer. Sometimes I'm surprised, though -- and you never get creativity if you don't ask for it.dan allossohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10733670017382794923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-85735282641234786672011-02-23T15:22:31.815-05:002011-02-23T15:22:31.815-05:00This video rocks. I am showing it to my students ...This video rocks. I am showing it to my students tonight.LDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09742066809468902814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7872819010848426693.post-36052295714716744372011-02-21T16:10:59.906-05:002011-02-21T16:10:59.906-05:00Nice blog. I assume that plagiarism is more of a ...Nice blog. I assume that plagiarism is more of a problem now then it was when I was a student forty some years ago because now all that is needed is a computer, the internet, cut and paste. I think it is wrong, however, to characterize plagiarism as theft. The idea of theft is tied to the idea of ownership which in turn is tied to a social entity such as a person or corporation. I think it is wrong to assert that an individual or corporation can own mental things such as ideas. First, such ownership denigrates intellectual and spiritual projects which to my mind are morally superior to the instrumental justifications for private property. Second, promoting private ownership of intellectual property, also promotes the idea that there is a scarcity of good thought and that there are powerful authorities who disseminate good ideas. This authority view seems to me to be a disincentive to creative thinking if one is trying as a teacher to promote student confidence in their own thought. Third, the teacher-student relationship is a power relationship that should not be exploited by the more powerful agent. Such exploitation is below the value of intellectual relationships. It would be better for the teacher-student relationship if the teacher engaged the student in a dialogue about what has already been expressed by others and how and where they did it, then to try to enforce creativity (which seems to me to be a contradictory effort). Of course, in an environment where people are forced to do things they don't want to do, like getting credit for the required history classes, there will be students who just want to get over the hurdle. So why not just tell them they are trying to get by and let them go (with a passing grade, of course). Good ideas will sort themselves and are independent of owners and authorities.Joehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00584058035920032984noreply@blogger.com