Free-market ideology addresses itself to the freedom of individuals, and from the point of view of the individual there often *is* a connection between freedom and commodities. But the story changes when approached from the point of view of the group. Academic freedom, as the term is used in the debate over commercial science, refers to the freedom of ideas, not to the freedom of individuals. Or perhaps we should say that it refers to the freedom of individuals to have their ideas treated as gifts contributed to the group mind and therefore the freedom to participate in that mind. The issue arises because when all ideas carry a price, and all discussion, the cognition of the group mind, must be conducted through the mechanisms of the market which – in the case of science, at least – is a very inefficient way to hold the discussion. The magazine *Science* reported on a case in California in which one DNA research group sought to patent a technique that other local researchers had treated as common property. An academic scientist who felt his contribution had been exploited commercially commented, There used to be a good, healthy exchange of ideas and information among local researchers . . . Now we are locking our doors. In a free-market the people are free, the ideas are locked up. - Lewis Hyde, from *The Gift* (Notably written about 15 years before the internet became ubiquitous. I think the global point-of-view on the freedom to share ideas is in flux. This makes me think of the story my father, the doctor, tells about a family of physicians who kept the invention of the forceps, a life-saving device in childbirth, secret. The family became wealthy and renowned obstetricians for royalty through keeping their knowledge-breakthrough private – when thousands of babies could have otherwise been safely delivered. My father argues that this violates one of the key ethics of medicine. In a gift economy, the responsibility is to give your discoveries away for the good of the world.)
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 16:10:12 +0000
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