Mr. Kimball;

With proper attribution, to quote another’s thoughts and words is appropriate; plagiarism, however, is cheating, and it may break copyright law as well (1) In fact I believe that [the most] human [trait] which is most difficult to avoid, for individuals is the plagiarism of [ourselves]. (2)

Furthermore, the ideals, standards, aspirations,[doctorial dissertations] are [full of] chameleon words, and take color from their speakers,—often false tints. A scholarly man of my acquaintance once told me that he traveled a thousand miles into the desert to get away from the word uplift, and it was the first word he heard after he reached his destination.(3) Anyway… I degress.

As usual the Liberals offer a mixture of sound and original ideas.Unfortunately none of the sound ideas is original and none of the original ideas is sound (4)

It only proves that as I have often said; It is a great act of cleverness to be able to conceal one’s being clever.(5) but well worth it, that is… if you can get away with it.

Mr Kimball; Actually It takes a lot of work to produce something original, a professor of sociology once told me that Einstein only had two original ideas, all else is cliché and that is why it is so justified to Plagiarize the thoughts of others by the use of the cliché after all the Cliche refers to words, [are] commonplace to ideas. Cliche describes the form or the letter, commonplace the substance or spirit. To confuse them is to confuse the thought with the expression of the thought. The cliche is immediately perceivable; the commonplace very often escapes notice if decked out in original dress. There are few examples, in any literature, of new ideas expressed in original form. The most critical mind must often be content with one or the other of these pleasures, only too happy when it is not deprived of both at once, which is not too rarely the case.(6) But as far as I am concerned, Honesty is a selfish virtue. Yes I am honest enough.(7) Furthermore, The view that honesty is something, and even a virtue, belongs, it is true, to those private opinions which are forbidden in this age of public opinions.(8) Sloth is all passions the most powerful. (9)

This reminds me of a conversation I was having with a friend, I said; These days, plagiarism is a Cardinal Sin in the academy. Of course, it’s always been frowned upon, but it’s my sense that the level of opprobrium that surrounds it has risen noticeably in recent years. (10)

Sincerely yours, Maybe Ward Churchill, Maybe not.

(1) “With proper attribution, to quote another’s thoughts and words is appropriate; plagiarism, however, is cheating, and it may break copyright law as well.”

ATTRIBUTION:Kenneth G. Wilson (1923), U.S. grammarian. The Columbia Guide to Standard American English, Columbia University Press (1993).

(2) “The human plagiarism which is most difficult to avoid, for individuals … is the plagiarism of ourself.”

ATTRIBUTION:Marcel Proust (1871–1922), French novelist. “The Sweet Cheat Gone,” vol. 11, ch. 1, Remembrance of Things Past (1925, trans. 1930).

(3) “ideals, standards, aspirations,—those are chameleon words, and take color from their speakers,—often false tints. A scholarly man of my acquaintance once told me that he traveled a thousand miles into the desert to get away from the word uplift, and it was the first word he heard after he reached his destination.”

ATTRIBUTION:Carolyn Wells (1862–1942), U.S. author. The Rest of My Life, ch. 4 (1937).

(4) As usual the Liberals offer a mixture of sound and original ideas. Unfortunately none of the sound ideas is original and none of the original ideas is sound.

ATTRIBUTION:Harold MacMillan (1894–1986), British Conservative politician, prime minister. Speech, March 7, 1961, London.

(5) It is a great act of cleverness to be able to conceal one’s being clever.

ATTRIBUTION:François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680), French writer, moralist. repr. F.A. Stokes Co., New York (c. 1930). Moral Maxims and Reflections, no. 246 (1665-1678), trans. London (1706).

(6) Cliche refers to words, commonplace to ideas. Cliche describes the form or the letter, commonplace the substance or spirit. To confuse them is to confuse the thought with the expression of the thought. The cliche is immediately perceivable; the commonplace very often escapes notice if decked out in original dress. There are few examples, in any literature, of new ideas expressed in original form. The most critical mind must often be content with one or the other of these pleasures, only too happy when it is not deprived of both at once, which is not too rarely the case.

ATTRIBUTION:Rémy De Gourmont (1858–1915), French critic, novelist. “The Dissociation of Ideas,” Selected Writings (1899, trans. 1966).

(7) Honesty is a selfish virtue. Yes I am honest enough.

ATTRIBUTION:Gertrude Stein (1874–1946), U.S. author. (Written 1903), originally published as Things As They Are 1950. “Q.E.D.,” bk. 1, Fernhurst, Q.E.D., and Other Early Writings, Liveright (1971).

(8) The view that honesty is something, and even a virtue, belongs, it is true, to those private opinions which are forbidden in this age of public opinions.

ATTRIBUTION:Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), German philosopher, classical scholar, critic of culture. Friedrich Nietzsche, Sämtliche Werke: Kritische Studienausgabe, vol. 1, p. 348, eds. Giorgio Colli and Mazzino Montinari, Berlin, de Gruyter (1980); Schopenhauer as Educator, p. 15, trans. by James W. Hillesheim and Malcolm R. Simpson, Chicago, Gateway Editions (1965). Schopenhauer as Educator, section 2 (1874).

(9) Sloth is all passions the most powerful.

ATTRIBUTION:Samuel Beckett (1906–1989), Irish dramatist, novelist. Words in “Words and Music,” one of the dramatic pieces in Cascando, p. 23, Grove Press (1968).

(10) “These days, plagiarism is a Cardinal Sin in the academy. Of course, it’s always been frowned upon, but it’s my sense that the level of opprobrium that surrounds it has risen noticeably in recent years.”

ATTRIBUTION: Roger Kimball
A few unoriginal thoughts on plagiarism March 22, 2008 8:09 AM