Re: Open Access Survey: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

From: Philip Hunter <lispjh_at_ukoln.ac.uk>
Date: Wed, 4 Feb 2004 23:17:44 +0000

Stevan,

You wrote:

> ...one wonders how long it will take this stratum of the planetary
> population (the research community), reputed, as it is, to be among its
> brightest, to grasp, at last, that open-access is *already* within its
> reach, could have been had already a decade ago (and indeed has been
> had by a few substrata that have now indisputably demonstrated their
> bril bona-fides), and threatening to become a bit scandalous for this
> community, seen from future historical hindsight, for its very absence!

Speaking of 'strata of the planetary population' makes it sound as if you
hail from somewhere beyond this planet, or else are floating somewhere
far above us :-)

> Meanwhile, we archivangelists can hardly take heart in the fact that
> we will eventually be seen to have been the bright lights that showed
> the way, for it is so overwhelmingly obvious that our prophetic message
> is no more profound or ingenious than the intellectual equivalent of
> "It's raining: Put on your raincoats!"

You are right. It *is* perfectly obvious within the Harnad model. However
the Harnad model isn't the only one (as I have suggested before), despite
your reluctance to embrace the possibility that there are other ways
of framing problems and solutions. When solutions are 'overwhelmingly
obvious', almost no-one troubles to look at other options, and so they
don't exist.

It is also perhaps (may I suggest) unwise to phrase your case in language
which suggests an atmosphere of evangelical enthusiasm and self-proclaimed
prophetic insight. We are talking about rational choices here, not
the religious conversion of those without (in the Harnad model), their
'bril bona-fides'.

Philip

*******************************************************
Philip Hunter, UKOLN Research Officer.
UKOLN, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY
Tel: +44 (0) 1225 323 668 Fax: +44 (0) 1225 826838
Email: p.j.hunter_at_ukoln.ac.uk UKOLN: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/
OA-FORUM: http://www.oaforum.org/
 *******************************************************
Received on Wed Feb 04 2004 - 23:17:44 GMT

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