The Stallman Paradox
Until society can resolve what I will call for the first time the “Stallman Paradox”, where learning and access enabling technologies, such as for example digital books, conversely disables the freedom to read and hence more than negates the actual benefits of said access, the rush to embrace all digital libraries and textbooks is a rush to a new dark ages.
This is perhaps best exemplified in the case of Cushing Acedemy. In this place of assumed learning, the administration choose to abandon a library collection of some 10,000 books which any student may freely access and share for the presumed benefit of DRM (Digital Restriction Management) disabled e-book solutions including the Amazon Kindel. While it is true that the amount of material available is far greater potentially for students, however in doing so, this institution has also decided to accept that costs associated with DRM solutions will mean each student will only be able to afford and have access to a far smaller actual collection of material than they had access to before.
Furthermore, outside of the question of turning universal education to a monitary privilege that only few will be able to afford, DRM disabling solutions mean that the right to read and share and learn together is immeasurably harmed. This is perhaps best exemplified in Stallman’s essay on the “Right to Read”, and hence, along with a question of basic freedom of access to knowledge and basic human rights, why I propose this problem be called the “Stallman Paradox”.
The logical solution is one where the right to read and think, and to share knowledge, is not made into a good that only few will be able to experience. In the European dark age, education was an exclusive privilege enabled only for a very few. While most societies today now recognize that universal education is both a right and a need, the use of mandated digitally restricted e-book solutions for education could well return societies to a new dark age.
Tags: education, freedom to think, libraries, right to read, stallman
September 5th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Hmmm. I think you are conflating the actions of a single institution with that of the broader opportunity. When I see Sanyo preparing to offer an ePub enabled reader rather than a DRM branded product. Or I see on TV that a group of entrepreneurs are offering small fee online textbooks that the instructor can enhance and tailor to a class, the outcome is heading in direction counter to your discussion.
September 8th, 2009 at 11:47 am
“It’s going to be much worse for freedom, before it gets any better” -Someone
I believe that’s true at least for some people / organizations - it is only when it comes to a crisis that the disatvantages of DRM become evident to the mainstream. A crisis could be Amazon’s issue with Orwell’s books or Sony’s rootkit “experiment”.
People are used to learn by experience, not when someone else tells them what to do and how - as in they have to get burnt themselves before they learn about the dangers of the fire.
September 8th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Frankly, I don’t know about other countries (such as Europe and Japan, as well as Canada, China, India, etc.), but the United States of America is ALREADY in Dark Ages.
For example, more people believe in angels than evolution. Another example, the great influence of churches on politics. Yet another example, the blind fate in various issues, such as free market, religions, etc. Even in technical-savvy portion of the population (which is generally believed to be more progressive), the idea of masculinity’s superior, hint of sexism and racism, the close-mindedness and scepticism toward concepts of freedom and community, the hopeless individualism and heroism are so wildspread that such portion can hardly be called “progressive.” Of course, expect the worse from the rest.
Dunno what you think, but warning about Dark Age at this time seems too late. Let’s discuss about how to do a new renaissance, shall we?
September 8th, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Renaissance, again?
September 8th, 2009 at 10:27 pm
While I agree with your overall sentiment, the language of “DRM disabling solutions” is problematic, because it sounds like a solution that disables DRM. Can you state this another way? Keep up the great thinking…
September 8th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
I think that this is a great counter point to the avalanche of articles and op/eds advocating the advance of technology in education as a solution. What is new is not always what is better, and in this case I believe that the school in question is accepting a future based on the “common” sense, which in reality may just be an echo chamber of the online community. If you live your life online and that is where you get your information as to where the future is headed, then it stands to reason you would believe we are unalterably headed for a paperless, digital age, in this case to the point where archaic books are a hindrance to education taking up space. I personally am not yet comfortable enough with Kindle to toss out my library, and I as leery of a future where published material is only available to those with the money for the technology and the subscription and written documentation is only as permanent as the last stroke of the backspace key.
September 9th, 2009 at 12:14 am
I’d love to be able to disagree. But I cannot:
pre-Y2K, I always wondered about how Herbert or rather any sane author could explain the device of butler’s jihad in Dune. After Y2K the continually increasing abuse of IT got very obvious. And every worker in IT worth his salt is getting very nervous when yet another ‘new’ advantageous ID card with chip and stuff gets mentioned. Given the risks we face, butler’s jihad suddenly seems like the emergency button and likely the only way to stop the ever increasing damage to our society and culture, which just might be a wee bit more important than IT and pure science.
Not a nice world and not a nice development we had to witness in the last decade.
cu
Peter