Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States of America wrote a letter to Isaac McPherson in 1813 regarding an 'idea'. He lived in a time of many intellectual inventions. Inventors often sought patents and Jefferson wanted to communicate to McPherson that an idea should be available to all, for mutual benefit. This is (part of) what he had to write:
"If nature has made any one thing less susceptible than all others of exclusive property, it is the action of the thinking power called an idea, which an individual may exclusively possess as long as he keeps it to himself; but the moment it is divulged, it forces itself into the possession of every one, and the receiver cannot dispossess himself of it. Its peculiar character, too, is that no one possesses the less, because every other possesses the whole of it. He who receives an idea from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine, receives light without darkening me."
Today, the computer has been long since invented, streamlined and brought to many desks. People in countries all over the earth use computers - many have prepared documents using word processors, presentation software and so forth. Many programmers develop software and many organizations use software and also earn revenue from developing software.
In this article, I wish to write about my moral perspective on free and open source software and proprietary software. The human mind is the place where every invention starts. A person works very hard for a period of time and tries many methods, until finally (s)he comes upon a solution. Where does this solution come from and how is it shared fairly with all? This article is not a final word, or even one I expect the reader to accept. Yet, I hope it makes for interesting reading.
What makes us human? Many animals live on our planet and have many capabilities. But we are social by nature - we share and live together in families. What we own is not entirely ours. For example, if I wear a shirt, the idea of making thread was given to one person. He shared it and many know how to make thread. Similarly, many know how to weave thread into cloth. This idea too came from some person. Cloth making and computer manufacturing may have started not centuries, but millenia apart. Yet, we remain people in need of mutual help.
Now, if every person in the world believed in free software, believed that free software was going to solve many problems, this is positive, but not ultimate. From a moral perspective, we ask ourselves whether we have given to poorer people dignity and opportunity to grow. If we give complete liberty to our children, for example, would they learn and live by principle? How are we to know whether they would use freedom justly and fairly and be fair and just for others? People in a ravaged country would be conscious of the possible ills of a morally deficient society. People who have not felt the pain of certain kinds of deprivation may not grow up with this social sensitivity.
Ultimately, proprietary and open source software models are in the hands of people. If a software developer is sensitive to the poor man near his house, he wants to help him. The poor man has a great dignity as a man, he can have other treasures than wealth - virtue. When justice is not yet established in a land or society, its people suffer and there is need to change. If reform is initiated by people willing to take the risk and offer themselves for it, there may be improvement until possibly justice and peace reigns. If a land or a society enjoys justice and peace, it can be a nursery of mutual respect and growth. Yet, this can stagnate a society because the social interdependence which brought the people to this good time can be forgotten. People can become aloof to the needs of the underprivileged.
Virtues - charity, peace, desire to share, all stem from man's goodness. Social evil comes because of man's passion - greed, prejudice, selfishness. Yet, this is not only a societal problem, but a personal one too. Morality of a society is a necessary precursor of all good things which come later. History has shown that where there were greedy or power hungry people - those who caused many to die, these could not last the test of time. Men may have been feared because of their brutality - even if they were geniuses at military conflict, they did not leave a moral quality that can remain the strength of a society. Morality and ethics therefore are facets of human development that, though different from culture to culture, are a common need for all of us. Only in this way, I can trust you when we work together, or even play a game of football together. Only in this way can we build something that we cannot build individually.
