Is Free Science really just intellectual theft?

In summary: Dry Ice Puck is a small disk of frozen CO2 rather than a brand name of hockey equipment.In summary, the author teaches that Free Science is Intellectual Theft, and that it is wrong to steal someone else's findings.
  • #1
kevinmorais
8
2
When I was studying Physics we had a contest where we had to build a Cart that would travel the Furthest Distance. I Figured a Dry Ice Puck would do the trick as everyone was putting wheels on their design. So I asked my Instructor if I could use a Dry Ice Puck, He told the Class about the Dry Ice Puck...teaching me about what is known as Free Science. If Your Idea isn't Published anyone can just put their name on it...he taught me a valuable lesson. Free Science is Theft in my eyes but Science is a Business and it is what it is. Publish before you share. It is called Free Science and like I said it is Intillectual Theft. Legally it is ok but Morally it is Wrong to steal someone else's findings. He was a Great teacher...
 
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  • #2
You write Free Science with capital letters. Is that the name of some organization that you believe steals intellectual property?

Btw, not all scientific ideas qualify as intellectual property, and if you haven’t published then there is no way to cite you so it isn’t even plagiarism.
 
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  • #3
kevinmorais said:
I asked my Instructor if I could use a Dry Ice Puck, He told the Class about the Dry Ice Puck...teaching me about what is known as Free Science. If Your Idea isn't Published anyone can just put their name on it..
And when it came time to grade the projects... do you seriously imagine that he didn't know who had come up with the idea on their own and who learned about it in class?
 
  • #4
You can hardly copyright numbers, or even commonly known algorithms. And RSA has (or had, I don't know if it's still protected) a copyright!
 
  • #5
Dale said:
You write Free Science with capital letters

He wrote pretty much everything with capital letters. I don't think this is significant.
 
  • #6
Vanadium 50 said:
He wrote pretty much everything with capital letters. I don't think this is significant.
Yes, it is odd and confusing to me. I assume that Dry Ice Puck is a small disk of frozen CO2 rather than a brand name of hockey equipment, but I have never heard of “free science” in another context so capitalizing it feels particularly strange.

I think that German capitalizes all nouns, but if he/she is a native German speaker then why are “theft”, “great”, and “morally” capitalized?
 
  • #7
Dale said:
I think that German capitalizes all nouns, but if he/she is a native German speaker then why are “theft”, “great”, and “morally” capitalized?
Theft is a noun. However, Intillectual and Morally are not.

And the noun rule is easier than to decide when American, English etc. are written with caps or not.
 
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  • #8
fresh_42 said:
You can hardly copyright numbers, or even commonly known algorithms. And RSA has (or had, I don't know if it's still protected) a copyright!
You can copyright some numbers in some contexts; every digital copyrighted work is expressible as a number. While algorithms as abstractions cannot be copyrighted, they can in many cases be patented, and their implementations or descriptions can be copyrighted.
 
  • #9
Dale said:
but if he/she is a native German speaker then why are “theft”, “great”, and “morally” capitalized?

Or Dry? Or Furthest?

Like you, I am still strugglinmg to figure out what the OP is saying.
 
  • #10
sysprog said:
You can copyright some numbers in some contexts; every digital copyrighted work is expressible as a number.
I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean a digitized song can be expressed as a series of concatenated numbers, and the result copyrighted as a number? In that case a 15 bit rendition would not violate the 16 bit resolution copyright.
 
  • #11
Since the question is so confusing we will close it for now.
 

1. Is free science really just intellectual theft?

There is no simple answer to this question as it depends on how one defines "free science" and "intellectual theft." Some may argue that sharing scientific knowledge and data freely is essential for progress and collaboration in the scientific community, while others may argue that it is unethical to use someone else's ideas or research without giving credit. Ultimately, it is up to individual scientists to uphold ethical standards in their work.

2. How is free science different from open access?

Free science and open access are related concepts but not interchangeable. Free science refers to the sharing of scientific knowledge, data, and resources without any cost or restrictions, while open access refers to making research publications available online for free, often with some restrictions on use and distribution. Free science encompasses a wider range of scientific resources, including data, software, and educational materials.

3. What are the benefits of free science?

There are numerous benefits to free science, including increased collaboration and innovation, more efficient use of resources, and greater accessibility to scientific knowledge for both scientists and the general public. It also allows for greater transparency and reproducibility in scientific research, which can improve the quality of findings and help prevent plagiarism and fraud.

4. What are the potential downsides of free science?

Some argue that free science can lead to a loss of financial support for scientists and institutions, as well as a decrease in quality control and rigorous peer review. It can also create challenges in ensuring proper attribution and recognition for original creators of scientific knowledge. Additionally, there are concerns about the exploitation of free science by corporations and individuals for profit without proper compensation or credit to the originators.

5. How can we balance the benefits and potential downsides of free science?

Finding a balance between the benefits and potential downsides of free science is an ongoing debate in the scientific community. Some suggest implementing stricter guidelines for attribution and citation of free scientific resources, while others propose alternative models for funding scientific research. Ultimately, it is important for scientists to uphold ethical standards and for society to recognize the value of scientific knowledge and support its creation and dissemination.

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