by Nels Griffin

Created on: July 26, 2009

Nothing New Under the Sun

The occurrence of genuinely new ideas is so infrequent and teetering on the brink of extinction that the draconian standards regarding plagiarism should be given some defined guidelines. It is a fact that in writing credit should be given where credit is due. Currently plagiarism is defined as, to use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own. To appropriate for use as one's own passages or ideas from (another). (Plagiarize). The harsh repercussions that uniformly follow plagiarism can cause irreparable harm the reputation of an author, but do not always match the nature of the offense. There should be an implementation of guidelines to be followed when plagiarism occurs. In the case of flagrant plagiaristic activities, firm punitive damages should necessarily match the vulgarity of the act. In some instances plagiarism should be corrected graciously where there was an innocent or benign oversight by an author, and not provide grounds for the vilification of the author. This is true because inherently the only writer who has not failed to credit properly the source of and idea expressed in his writing, is a writer that is yet to express an idea. Some of the greatest writers that have set pen to paper articulated ideas not truly unique without sighting references. Others authors have honestly missed a reference in the compiling of their sources. As a result their reputation was muddied for their omission, with little or no opportunity for reconciliation. Often the uncovering of any type of plagiarism sparks a modern day witch hunt. This can result in the protracted assassination of the character of the writer who made an oversight, regardless of the author's intent. As with any form of justice the punishment should fit the crime, and a tiered system of fair punishment should be instituted.

Every writer has expressed knowledge, or freshly stated ideas from sources outside themselves, without exhaustive acknowledgment of their origin, due to being a general understanding of the author. This can be illustrated with an example. I could state definitively that the Jewish holiday Yum Kippur comes from two Hebrew words, Yum which means roughly day, and Kippur which implies to cover over something, and is often translated atonement. I can also say with little doubt, that the Hebrew word Kippuris directly related to the idea of covering something with pitch or tar, and is used in reference

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