On 10/7/08, adam hodgkin <adam.hodgkin_at_gmail.com> wrote:
> I also support Jean-Claude's view on this, and like Andy Powell, I find it
> mildly disconcerting to see summaries and extensively interpolated
> commentary. Could it be that this is more convenient for the author of the
> reply than the reader? More suited to a one:one correspondence than to one
> which is widely shared. It is particularly hard to follow interpolated
> comments when they are several layers deep.
This is a different issue, and let me state my position very explicitly:
You may vote on whether or not you want me to continue to moderate
this Forum, and if there is a plurality against me, I will step down.
But if I receive a vote of confidence, I will not change the terms of
posting, for either the moderator or any other poster: Any poster,
including the moderator, may quote, comment, criticize, elaborate,
rebut or summarize as he sees fit, as long as it is on-topic and not
ad-hominem. (Ad hominem means about a person, rather than about their
ideas and text.)
Those who do not wish to follow quote/commentary may skip it, but I
will not censor it. On the contrary, I strongly believe that
quote/commentary will emerge with OA as an important new form of
scholarly/scientific communication:
Harnad, S. (1990) Scholarly Skywriting and the Prepublication
Continuum of Scientific Inquiry Psychological Science 1: 342 - 343
(reprinted in Current Contents 45: 9-13, November 11 1991).
http://cogprints.org/1581/
Harnad, S. (1992) Interactive Publication: Extending American
Physical Society's Discipline-Specific Model for Electronic
Publishing. Serials Review, Special Issue on Economics Models for
Electronic Publishing, pp. 58 - 61.
http://cogprints.org/1688/
Harnad, S. (1995) Interactive Cognition: Exploring the Potential
of Electronic Quote/Commenting. In: B. Gorayska & J.L. Mey (Eds.)
Cognitive Technology: In Search of a Humane Interface. Elsevier. Pp.
397-414.
http://cogprints.org/1599/
Harnad, S. (2003/2004) Back to the Oral Tradition Through
Skywriting at the Speed of Thought. Interdisciplines. Retour a la
tradition orale: ecrire dans le ciel a la vitesse de la pensee. Dans:
Salaun, Jean-Michel & Vendendorpe, Christian (dir). Le deis de la
publication sur le web: hyperlectures, cybertextes et meta-editions.
Presses de l'enssib.
http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/7723/
> This is merely a personal preference but it may not be a minority one. It is
> offered as a request of the moderator, rather than a criticism of him.
What I recommend for those who don't like quote/commentary is to skip
it, not to try to disallow it. And I repeat, unless I am voted out as
moderator, I shall continue to allow it, practice it, and encourage
both quote/commentary and summarizing by any and all contributors to
the Forum.
Stevan Harnad
Received on Tue Oct 07 2008 - 16:36:29 BST