The Universality of Ideas v the Concept of Plagiarism

by Robert Wilkinson

Is any idea truly original? Can any concept arise from nothing? Do we borrow ideas and then turn them to a form of understanding? When we hear or read something and then repeat it verbatim, is that wrong?

Today we take a philosophical meander through many ideas about ideas, whether we ever truly have an original thought and whether borrowing the ideas of another is a "good" or "bad" thing. Plagiarism has been in the news quite a bit lately, so I figured this might be a good time to examine what it is and what it isn't.

The inspiration for this article came from a piece written by Stanley Fish, Plagiarism Is Not a Big Moral Deal, that appeared in the New York Times. In the article this learned academic (who was slightly plagiarized by someone else) introduces the concept that perhaps plagiarism is more of a violation of a local rule created by academics than a philosophical evil or moral flaw.

In the article the point is made that we all have been taught to believe that some things are inherently wrong, while other things are only wrong because they violate some local term of use. In law these are distinguished by the concepts of Malum in se v Malum Prohibitus. Is borrowing the words of another without "full attribution" inherently wrong, or merely a rule made by academics?

Some of the debate about plagiarism involves whether it's merely stealing the words of another, with few if any consequences, or is it also a form of cheating, with social consequences of larger importance down the road. Examples of the latter are when the plagiarist receives a job they are not qualified for, or uses someone else's words to make themselves seem more knowledgeable than they are.

I've been plagiarized many times, both in hard copy print and in the blogosphere, and while I don't like it, I also know that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." I still insist that anyone who wants to quote any piece of my work verbatim should give me proper attribution. I would do the same for them were the situation reversed.

In a google universe it's fairly easy to find character strings which makes busting plagiarism pretty easy. There's even software written for just that purpose that is widely used by college professors. So from one point of view someone would have to be a fool to steal someone else's words and claim they spoke or wrote them. Just too easy to figure out when a thing was first spoken or written.

Here I'll give a nod to those who have notified me throughout the years when they read articles by someone else who obviously lifted my terms and phraseology. These were instances where elements of style were so obviously mine as to make the plagiarist look ridiculous in trying to shoehorn a style completely different than their own into an article or speech.

And, if they don't steal any more material, any plagiarist will revert to their original style which usually has little in common with the one they stole from. Pattern reverts to pattern, and if a pattern is not natural to one's true Self, then it probably cannot persist for very long. Either a person is attempting to generate "original" material appropriate to their thought process, or they're just regurgitating someone else's material.

That said, I believe we've all been borrowing ideas, phrases, experiences, knowledge, and wisdom from others beginning when we first learned to decode a sentence and find meaning in what another person said. We learned "good" and "bad" at a very early age, and that led us into many ideas about things. These ideas originated long before we came along.

Human nature is the same throughout the Ages, and certain needs, desires, yearnings, and aspirations are universal to all. In pursuing those mysteries we learn many things that others have learned across space and time. Isn't it then natural for us to have some of the same ideas and behaviors that those who came before us also had?

We could not have an original idea if we didn't have something familiar or contextual for that "original idea" to relate to. A form may result from a thought, but that thought was learned somewhere. It may have been a fragment of something we read or heard. It may be a concept that has cooked in our consciousness for years or decades before it becomes clear. Everything we think we learned from somewhere, since without perception that thought does not exist except in pure potentiality.

It could be offered that originality is just using ideas or methods in innovative ways. Maybe originality is merely offering the world a new way to interpret something not foreseen by the one who originally proposed the idea or method (technique).

We all "walk in the footsteps of our predecessors," whether we admit it or not. We all learned from many people, books, and experiences in our lives. These gave us ideas, all of which already reside in the realm of "Divine Mind."

If all ideas already exist in Divine Mind, having been thought by someone across all time, then to paraphrase something Rudhyar once offered, "what belongs to one belongs to all." He also made the point that nothing is more futile than possessiveness in the realm of ideas.

This is because if a human mind could draw a concept out of cosmic Mind, then it probably resembles something someone else once said or did to whatever extent the idea could be made real or put into practice. This is where music law makes the distinction between conscious plagiarism and "unconscious" plagiarism. The two versions of "Forever Young," one by Bob Dylan and the other by Rod Stewart, is a classic example of the latter.

While I do believe that we should attribute as much as we can any ideas that directly quote another, how much attribution is enough? Is there ever a time when we or another truly "own" a string of words?

I do believe that my written work is by and large generated from my own creative mind. However, I also admit that everything I've ever read contributed to what creativity I can articulate, including the concepts I rejected, since I made them grist for learning discrimination in some way.

When I quote an idea or concept from my library of "source material," I try to let others know where it came from. I also know that every time I try to articulate ancient ideas, I believe that I am offering that wisdom in more modern forms appropriate to my life and our times.

I believe all writers have done that one way and another from antiquity. An idea may be well known because it was articulated by someone able to make it part of the canon of literature. But another can take that same idea and articulate it in a way that makes that expression of the idea as unique as any idea can be.

Anyway, just some ideas that may help you remember who brought you to the various dances in your life. We all have visible and invisible helpers who feed us ideas from Divine Mind to assist our evolution to our Highest Self. And our Highest Self is probably the greatest statement of "originality" we can make.

Copyright © 2010 Robert Wilkinson

Comments

[Apiratesmind]

Hi, Robert.

[Jorge Torres]

ThankYou Robert Wilkinson !!!

There are admirable potentialities in every human being. Believe in your strength and your truth. Learn to repeat endlessly to yourself. "It all depends on me."
Andre Gide

Blessings !!!

[Jimmy]

Robert, it's the world we live in today. No moral charactor! What a shame. They will do and take anything to become more popular, more powerful, and more wealthy. What else is new? I feel sorry for the people who marry these people, as they have no idea what they are getting until it's too late.

One day, just like the banking industry, all this moral bankruptcy will come to a head. In the mean time, we all know it's your writing and words when we see it. And one day people will find out about these people stealing your thoughts and words.

And one day Karma will come out from hiding and bite them in the ass. I love Karma.

[Anna Wilde]

I consider Plagerism a form of flattery, yet there is also another factor at play the idea of seeding. What if thoughts are like dandelion seeds floating around (good, bad, or indifferent) and we like earth or electricity receptors pick up those ideas. Naturally we will gravitate, I suspect, towards those of likeminded ideas.

[BritLitChik]

Neat topic, Robert. The thing that struck me was your quote "the concept that perhaps plagiarism is more of a violation of a local rule created by academics than a philosophical evil or moral flaw." While this is certainly the case, I have also found that some plagiarists have other intents - whole bodies of academic research where people have failed to adequately give credit to the researcher(s). This failure, intended or otherwise, creates the illusion of ownership of the material. We are taught in this country from very young ages this is wrong and we have to give our schools some credit since whole semesters are spent on us in HS English teaching us how to properly cite and document quotes, articles, books and research. Plagiarism is a form of stealing, or at best, cheating.

Getting back to the issue of ownership - unfortunately, when we see those in academia "flattering" their peers, it certainly is intentional and is done either to further their own careers or to imply they are smarter/more learned than they really are.

One might be able to forgive the occasional addition of some of your quality writing by adding it to their own blogs so they sound genius and not providing your name as author. I certainly have a different opinion on that and will always call someone on it when I see it. But it's unforgiveable to lift whole bodies of work or fail to cite especially when the individual knows better.

Jimmy - I like your Karma line. :)

Whew - my Achilles Heel (hey, who coined that term?)

[Apiratesmind]

I haven't come across any astrology blogs that are not also offering professional consultations for a fee. That's the first point. My second is that Robert's astrological reflections pose an extremely unique and encompassing metaphysical assertion. This is something few astrologers in any given century can achieve. In other words, while most bloggers will be forgotten in the dustbin of history, a rare few will be remembered for what they contribute to a discipline that is ancient and ongoing.

Therefore, when I notice bloggers utilizing Robert's work without proper attribution, I will continue to alert him.

[Beth in San Diego]

My philosophy teacher & mentor back in the days(1970)spoke of a golden thread that runs through all theology and philosophy; i have found this to be true. I have indeed quoted you on my blog, but with full reference as my aim in quoting anyone is to point the reader back to the source so they may continue their search on a topic. Truth seekers enjoy seeking out answers and affirmations. I know that this "golden thread" is part and parcel of reality and when i stumble upon such connections - whether expressed in written form, musical form, verbal or visual form - i smile and say -- yes, that's it and i feel it is part of my karma & dharma to pass it along.

[Dcu777]

I have always used Robert's material as the base for the astrological discussions at our monthly Full Moon groups. However, I have been careful to include his copyright on his articles, and to cite him as a source. Most importantly, I include links to Aquarius Papers and encourage people to come here and explore all this wisdom in depth for themselves.