About originality

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Opinion

Sat, December 9, 2023 | 23:40

Thoughts of the Times

About originality

Posted : 2023-06-22 16:30

Updated : 2023-06-22 16:34

By William R. Jones

I once asked a former biology professor long ago, if I say or write "ATP is the energy currency of the cell," do I have to cite the source of the statement? His reply was that if it is not common knowledge, then yes, you must speak "quote-unquote" or put a footnote in your writing giving credit to the original source.

However, I found this to be a bit of a conundrum in the sense that my question/problem received a conjectural answer, for what is common knowledge to one may not be common knowledge to another.

I often use rather well-known quotable persons and their remarks to provide supporting attention or as emphasis quotations in my writings. But, sometimes I find multiple attributions. Sometimes, I wonder if it is necessary to cite anyone at all?

Long ago, one Dr. George Grier stated, "It is not at all likely that anyone ever had a totally original idea. He may put together old ideas into a new combination, but the elements which made up the new combination were mostly acquired from other people. Without many borrowed ideas there would be no inventions, new movements or anything else that is classed as new." In part, I agree with Grier's statement, but not altogether so. Even before Grier, Mark Twain said something very similar.

I suppose they arrived at their deliberations in reference to the metaphor "standing on the shoulders of giants." This phrase is attributed to others and predates Issac Newton who popularized it in a 1675 letter to Robert Hooke: "If I have seen further (than others), it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." More recently, Stephen Hawking stated, "Each generation stands on the shoulders of those who have gone before them, just as I did as a young Ph.D., student in Cambridge, inspired by the work of Issac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell and Albert Einstein."

Adaptation is common among writers, especially something that is rewritten in a new form. A prime example is The Byrds rendition of the song "Turn, Turn, Turn" (subtitled: To Everything There is a Season) wherein they repeat the exact words of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (King James Version of the Bible). I find a lot of this adaptation or problematic common knowledge when I peruse scientific journals. It is most certain that you have heard or seen it elsewhere.

In present times, those by schemes trying to increase their income often disregard Herman Melville's dictum "It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation." On the other hand, I think we all follow a model or pattern, perhaps, with some variation for that is how we learn.

Nevertheless, almost every great idea that has occurred has been abused and almost every great invention that came along was misused. That I suppose we can chalk up to human folly. Of course, patent offices, copyright infringement and litigation diminish it somewhat. However, integrity and ethics are not found in all circles. In fact, as an example, there is considerable disagreement among some countries as to the definition of outright plagiarism. See: Introna, Lucas; Wood, Elspeth (January 2003). "Cultural attitudes towards plagiarism". University of Lancaster.

I wonder if AI can be held accountable for its borrowing of vast corpus information that it puts forth. Are the creators riskless?

The author (wrjones@vsu.edu) published the novella "Beyond Harvard" and presently teaches English as a second language.