Here’s a word, Josh, that I find intrinsically cringeworthy: plagiarism, from plagium, “kidnapping.” What I detest about plagiarism is the insinuation that words and ideas can be “kidnapped,” and the succeeding one that they can be owned with some exclusivity.
I, it would seem, come at this issue from an idiosyncratic angle—much of my career having [...]
Archive for July 15th, 2009
15 Jul
Plagiarism Symposium Part IV: Words Ain’t Got No Owners, Only Users
15 Jul
Plagiarism Symposium Part III: Which Words Are Your Own?
Josh, first of all I agree that there is a wide spectrum between unoriginality and theft; perhaps I was a little too Manichean in my wording.
With that said, though, I think intent is often hard, if not impossible to determine. Take the Mencia/Lopez examples. The jokes in question are pretty standard “Mexican-culture-is-funny” jokes. I think [...]
15 Jul
Plagiarism Symposium Part II: My Own Words?
Through the lens of Infinite Jest (on a moderately-related note: I, along with co-blogger Tim, have officially begun our infinite summers… maybe this should have been a footnote), John S digs into some really interesting issues surrounding plagiarism in creative endeavors.
John admits uncertainty on why David Foster Wallace’s possible plagiarism makes him feel betrayed. In [...]
Tim
John S
Pierre Menard
Josh
NPI
