[R] Open source community help-desks

[rolf at math.unb.ca]

Ted Harding wrote:

> > but, in the meanwhile, perhaps we need a revision of Ayn Rand's
> > "Virtue of Selfishness" and how it may or may not extend to the
> > open-source community.
> 
> Ayn Rand's concept of "selfishness" is of course not the standard
> one (gratifying oneself in disregard for others), and can (if I
> have it right) well embrace ensuring that the self is well looked
> after while extending one's resulting strength, vigour and
> survival to the benefit of others. And I think this may be a good
> analogy of the way the Open Source community works.

	Ayn Rand claimed to base her philosophical system on three
	``axioms'':  (1) Existence exists.  (2) Conciousness is
	concious.  (3) [I can't --- thank God --- remember.]

	When I was in graduate school, lo these many years ago, I had
	a friend who was a very right-wing person from the South of
	the U. S. and who might have been expected to have some
	sympathy with Ayn Rand's views.  This friend had a gift for
	succinct and pithy aphorisms.  He remarked:  ``Anyone who can
	say `Existence exists' with a straight face is either a fool
	or a charlatan.''

                                cheers,

                                        Rolf Turner
                                        rolf at math.unb.ca