Comments on: Who’s up for open access? http://jellymatter.com/2012/01/31/whos-up-for-open-access/ The blog that is not afraid of equations... or bees Sun, 17 Mar 2013 00:21:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Nathaniel Virgo http://jellymatter.com/2012/01/31/whos-up-for-open-access/#comment-497 Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:13:29 +0000 http://jellymatter.com/?p=2760#comment-497 That makes a certain amount of sense, though as you say it’s hard to know for sure if that’s the reason. I guess the relatively low percentage of physicists could be explained by the fact that they’re already a long way towards ditching the commercial publishers altogether, since at least in theoretical physics it seems to be acceptable to just publish for free on arXiv instead.

]]> By: Lucas Wilkins http://jellymatter.com/2012/01/31/whos-up-for-open-access/#comment-494 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:58:51 +0000 http://jellymatter.com/?p=2760#comment-494 We’ll my argument was going to be that they have a subject which is well defined. There is far less need to communicate fuzzy concepts. As such there is far less need for authority than in the ‘softer’ sciences where communication relies far more heavily on established modes of explanation. ‘Soft’ sciences are more normative, with far more things just being done how they are done, and accepted as given. There is an ‘if its not in X or Y it’s probably not very useful’ attitude. – not because they expect it to be good or bad per se, but because it takes so fucking long to work out what other people are saying that there isn’t enough time to deal with people who buck trends or refuse to present a theory in a tailor made box with a bow on it – plus they’re usually spending time doing experiments. To a biologist, it’s more trouble than it’s worth to go against the grain, it’s hard enough getting people to listen as it is – open access wont help that, in fact, unless every switches all at once, removing the establishment is only going to make things harder. Mathematicians have far less to lose because they rely on convention far less.

So there a more pro establishment feeling in the ‘softer’ sciences, probably a justified feeling too. Social and biological sciences don’t really respect the whole socially dysfunctional maverick archetype. Their ideals are cooperative but conservative. Mathematics and physics are very macho, people go off on their own and work stuff out more and the lone mad theorist is accepted and even idolised – they are individualistic and radical in their ideals.

Anyway, I didn’t write this before because I wasn’t completely of it convinced myself. But as you asked ;)

]]> By: Nathaniel Virgo http://jellymatter.com/2012/01/31/whos-up-for-open-access/#comment-493 Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:24:07 +0000 http://jellymatter.com/?p=2760#comment-493 Very pretty. But what do you think the reason is for this? Are mathematicians being ripped off the most, or do they just feel more strongly about the issue? Or (probably most likely) has the petition just done the rounds on the mathematicians’ mailing lists more than those of the other communities?

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