Research compilation software like that is a huge business in academia. I attacked it several times in my publishing classes, which basically led everyone to believing I want to plagiarize everyone’s work and destroy America.
But really, what does it say about our society that we commodify knowledge and information, effectively trading knowledge in exchange for currency? What does it say about us, that we are so short-sighted that we have exchanged the inherent value of an idea to improve the world for the market value of that idea to improve our own condition? What does it say that academia has shut itself out from the world, sharing knowledge not for global advancement, but for personal gain?
As academics, we bar knowledge from the public only at our own peril. The great misconception amongst academics is that the knowledge that we transcribe necessarily belongs to us. It does not. Unless knowledge is shared openly to educate all people, we must ask ourselves what our true aim is: are we looking for a better world, or are we merely masturbating?
(Source: anticapitalist)
