[License-discuss] exploring the attachment between the author and the code

[Michael Downey]

Hi Nicholas,

On Fri, Feb 28, 2020, at 14:07, Nicholas Matthew Neft Weinstock wrote:
> As an analogy, think about an artist during the Renaissance.

Thanks for your analogy. Your text as well as Gil's framing question about "how our creation is used" reminded me of a conversation I had with an artist earlier this month. 

We were attending a large outdoor night-time public event with lots of various public art on display for people to come up and interact with. (It was in fact designed as interactive art!) However, we were standing at an installation of shadow boxes that people were clearly using in ways not consistent with the artist's statement posted next to the shadow theater. In fact, the horseplay could have been dangerous for some of the younger children nearby. I asked my artist friend what they thought "most artists" (ha!) would think about people "mis-using" their work.

Their response: "We're not God. Even God relinquished control. If those people hurt others, they'll be the ones responsible."

Regardless of our religious or spirtual backgrounds if any, and granting that one artist would never speak for all of them, I still think it's an interesting notion to think about.

Cheers,
Michael