I agree with Gleick. If people are offended by the idea of research materials being made public via the internet, then I think it has less to do with what they perceive that others may miss out on and more to do with their personal attachments to the texts. Furthermore, I think it shows a sort of jealousy that reminds me of the old image of academics in their ivory towers. It think that sharing these texts rather than guarding them allows for a new level of learning and understanding amongst those who could not have realistically accessed them before. I don’t think it cheapens the texts in any way. As Gleick points out, these relics are certainly still valued for themselves even after their knowledge has been widely dispersed. In fact, I feel like the more people have seen a document in reproduction the more they are likely to comprehend its significance when presented with the original.
I think there is something of a jelousy factor when it comes to owning books. With digital copies a person can't say they own a first edition, signed copy of some famous novel. This type of mentality is only hampering the spread of digital information
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