Sunday, November 21, 2010

Wikileaks and Mills

So, I got confused and posted this on Wikileaks last week...Here it is again.

First, let me say that I found this week’s topic of WikilLeaks to be among the most interesting discussed within this class. I did not know of its existence prior to this week. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.I have to be honest that I did not know what to expect when I searched WikiLeak’s archive, specifically, “Diary Dig”. What I suppose I would find would be complete sections of information – documents which consisted of 20-pages-or-more of juicy information noting edits, deletions, and the “top secret” red stamp of approval. Basically, something that stood out as information which should not be known.This is not what I found in “Diary Dig”.

What I DID discover were thousands of short documents which contained the essential elements of information - # of casualties, units involved, target specification, and so forth. Alone, one document with a few numbers and abbreviations does not provide any insight to the happenings of war; but a coalition consisting of tens of thousands of documents paints a full picture – a story of attrition that any war tells.What would Mills say on the ethics of WikiLeaks?Mill’s writings argued, in so many words, that an ignorant argument breeds ignorant thought. Freedom of Information, therefore, is a fight against ignorance. Is not information classified as “top secret” the manifestation of ignorance promoted by government action? Thus, I believe that if Mill’s were alive today, he would be sitting at his own lap top reviewing potential articles to be posted on Diary Dig. In short, Mills would be continuing his fight against ignorance in this new medium.

1 comment:

  1. Way to connect this modern issue back to Mill's ideas from over one hundred years ago!

    I also was suprised that there weren't more flashing lights, do not enter signs - or perhaps more subtle indications - that would indicate that the information is secretive. The fact that this is not the case would almost indicate that there is more hype to WikiLeaks than actual substance. As we have talked about throghout this course, knowledge is power - and everyone has equal rights to be empowered.

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