Public domain history

[steltz]

I am thinking of writing a paper, and I am having trouble finding scholarly references for historical things that I think are true, but without references, can't really state with certainty. I am quite prepared to find out that my "knowledge" needs to be tweaked in different directions, however. Here's the gist of it -- I want to trace (as an introduction to something else) the history of the philosophy behind "knowledge belonging to mankind".

As far as I understand it, in the Middle Ages, knowledge was not deemed to be something that belonged to mankind. If you discovered something scientific, you kept that to yourself because you could exploit it for your own gain. "Occult" originally meant merely "hidden", and it didn't necessarily mean evil, at least not at first.

1) I remember hearing of a ship's captain whose crews were healthier and had fewer deaths because he added something, I think lemon juice perhaps, to the drinking water. This knowledge could have saved hundreds if not thousands of lives, but because the captain (or his company) didn't want the opposition being as healthy, it was kept secret, and it was only a long while later that it became general knowledge. This is an excellent example of knowledge being deemed private that was ultimately harmful to society. Anyone know where I can find an exact reference?

2) Where was the tipping point? When did society as a whole decide that knowledge and creativity belonged to it and not individuals?

Anyone want to give me a reading list?

[daphnis]

Try:

Boyle, James. The Public Domain: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2010.

And depending on how well your French is: Yolka, Philippe. La propriété publique: Eléments pour une théorie. Paris: L.G.D.J., 1997.

[steltz]

Thanks, Daphnis, my library actually has the 2008 edition of the Boyle, so I will go fetch tomorrow. Unfortunately, French is pretty non-existent, so I'll start with the Boyle.

[jossuk]

The Wikipedia' entry for "scurvy" suggests that the history of its treatment was far more complex than one captain concealing useful information; I would recommend a careful reading of the pertinent article.

[steltz]

I know it was more complex than that, but it was one example of a health issue that was concealed from the general population for the purposes of economic competition, so it was a good example of the philosophy of concealed science that had a negative effect on mankind. But thanks for the heads up to the article, there are always references at the end of those as well, and those would also help.