Re: [Patents] Re: Re: You have rights.. Software Patents are Illegal

[Hartmut Pilch <phm@a2e.de>]

> I agree and find these arguments (and Simo's too) strong because they do 
> not 
> depend on some dubious mind-matter ontology. 
> 
> Let us assume that only matter exists. Then, information, including science 
> as 
> well as software, is matter that represents matter and laws of matter. And 
> your point 1) and 2) above will apply. 
 
> You could argue similarly from an idealistic point of view.
> 
> What is needed in these arguments to formulate the forces of nature 
> doctrine, 
> is a concept of representation. We need not a dubious ontology of Being. We 
> just need the experience that representation in fact exists and works.

I find a statement such as the above "only matter exists" and "information 
is matter that represents matter" very dubious.

Why should only matter exist?

This sounds as if you wanted to verify Pythagoras' theorem by drawing a 
rectangle on paper and measuring with a ruler.

No, Pythagoras' theorem is not verifiable.  It is independent of matter.

Axiomatic and empirical knowledge are different, but a lot of people seem 
obsessed with wanting to equate them or with constructing some unified 
world view where they are somehow merged.   Some have called this 
a modern form of pantheism. 

> If someone thinks that information as such ;-) should be patentable, we 
> cannot 
> say that this should not be the case due to some universal truth of Being. 
> Nor can we, with reference to some ontology, tell anyone that technology 
> cannot be defined so that it includes information technology, including 
> software. Instead, we can explain why patenting of information is deeply 
> problematic for our society.

You are confusing two issues:

(1) which system is conducive to understanding the questions

(2) which is helpful for "us" (some assumed group in this forum that 
    does not necessarily exist) for a certain PR strategy.

Indeed nobody contradicts you on (2), but apparently you are feeling
yourself that your arguments on (1) are weak.  Otherwise you wouldn't be
switching into (2) all the time.

-- 
Hartmut Pilch, FFII & Eurolinux Alliance              tel. +49-89-18979927
Protecting Innovation against Patent Inflation       http://swpat.ffii.org/
330,000 votes 2000 firms against software patents    http://noepatents.org/