Free Information #2

Of the websites chosen in the post Free Information #1, the most reliable appear to be websites 2 and 3.

The second website, http://www.eprints.org/openaccess/, written by Stevan Harnad, argues in favor of open access to information. It states that information should be widely and freely available to all people, placing particular emphasis on its benefits for all people rather than a select few. Open access provides easier research opportunities for students, scientists, teachers, and the average American. Stevan Harnad, the author, does not publish his credentials on his website, but upon further investigation, one can find out that he completed his graduate work and doctorate in Philosophy at Princeton University. Harnad also currently sits as Canada Research Chair in cognitive science at Université du Québec à Montréal. Harnad is a qualified individual speaking expertly and simply about the complicated topic of free information.

The third website, http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/overview.htm, written by Peter Suber, argues about the same topic as the previous article, open access of information on the internet. At its core, this argument is should people have access to all information freely or should they have to pay for it? Suber, Director of Harvard Open Access Project, also discusses the two ways open access articles are delivered, gold or green, journals or respositories. Like Harnad, Suber comes to the conclusion that open access of information is beneficial to multiple groups of people rather than only a select few and that it would not harm authors.