[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Take that for a yes.



Richard D. Feinman wrote:
I said I would give you all the money you need.  Now money is taken care
of.  Is OA a good idea?  I will take your  answer as a yes.
In such a thought-experiment, unlimited financial resources for publication
would also lead to unlimited prices charged to authors, as there would be
no incentive for publishers to contain costs and market prices approach
infinity. [1]  If taxpayers want accountability for the funds that flow
into research, such a world of unlimited resources may not be the one you
chose to live in.  While not ideal, this may be "the best of all possible
worlds" (Leibniz)

[1] Argument based on Reductio ad absurdum, or proof by contraction. see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reductio_ad_absurdum

Phil Davis