Emitted by Ann Racuya-Robbins circa 01/04/09 12:58 PM:
>   I have come to the conclusion a number of thoughtful people at Friam,
> the Santa Fe Institute and the Complex and I may well have a
> fundamental, important, genuine and sincere philosophical difference of
> opinion about the future of the information/knowledge culture that is
> emerging in the world today. This difference includes how and when
> people should be rewarded for what they know? What is the most equitable
> way for people to share what they know? What does it mean for something
> to be ?free?? These are some of the areas of difference. I have spent
> decades thinking about these things but no one knows everything and I am
> sure I have more to learn.

This is a bit cryptic.  I presume the particulars of any disagreements
have come to light in face-to-face conversations?  How and when you do
_you_ think people should be rewarded for what they know?  How and when
does your opposition think people should be rewarded for what they know?
 What do you think it means for something to be "free"?  And what does
the opposition think?

Personally, I believe people _should_ do almost precisely what they
already do.  I.e. there are wide distributions for how and when people
get rewarded for what they know and that's how it "should" be.  From
your using "should" in your question, I infer you think that (at least
some) people are NOT rewarded in the way or at the time they _should_ be
rewarded.

Likewise, I tend to think that nothing is ever free.  "Free" is a
delusion we willingly engage in so as to "externalize costs and
internalize profits".  For example, "free software" is free in neither
sense of the word (free beer or positive freedoms).  Like proprietary
software, the costs and benefits exist, they are just in different
places and require attention at different times.

If the above discussion is irrelevant to what you intended, then please
elaborate and clarify!

-- 
glen e. p. ropella, 971-222-9095, http://agent-based-modeling.com


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