i am quite impressed at how this blog works as a feedback and crit machine... seriously... i guess wawasan open uni can now have their architecture class adi...thru blogs..lol...
neway... i raised a question to Ian in his email ... and he replied.... and he was in the opinion that such a feedback could be of use to everybody cause it may have crossed our minds one way or another...i agree and so here it is...
it is a question about ethics....
the first article would be my question... the next would be Mr. Ian's answer...Happy reading and may the force of enlightenment come upon you..
THE QUESTION ::
hi ian....
i have problems with my facebook.. but i am a part of ur blog already...
i tend to be better with spoken words so i think i will just see you on tuesday.
however i have one question...
i know that every idea that we churn out today is most likely already been thought of by somebody else. so the most original idea (some say) is the pyramids actually. haha. anyhow this is my predicament:
on the day of the first interim crit for our current project, marc and myself actually sat down to hear euric speak about his ideas. he proposed to use one of the existing shophouse as his foyer into his building. with the rational of reviving the dead first floors of the shophouses today, by extending our eye levels to the first floor of the shophouses. apparently, marc is doing the same thing. would it be okay if i were to do the same thing also? i have my reasons and rational behind them which i look forward to presenting them to you on tuesday.
but i dont know. would it be unethical? to use an idea that i acquired from my friend's sharing of his ideas. i mean, it would not bother me if i thought of it before i hear euric speak.. but now i am using that idea after i hear him speak... then again, it is not very original anyway since marc is also using it already...
i know it is okay to do it, technically. cause it is not really his original idea. but is it ethical?
please advise...tq
now THE ANSWER ::
My dear dear Boy...you think too much...
But I know where you're coming from. Perhaps your (our) faith has activated in you a super moral sensitivity...not a bad thing when it comes to relationships. That's how God almost always speaks to us.
But when it comes to the world of ideas, it's different.
You're quite right in saying that there's absolutely almost nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes?) Somebody somewhere must have thought of this idea before...we often think. And we're probably right. And of course it's understandable to be troubled if we want it so much for ourselves but we're not the kind to steal.
But civilization has to progress. And sometimes---no, not sometimes----civilization ALWAYS progresses on the back of precedents. Hence the need for research. What is research if not the study of what's gone on before, what others have researched? Welcome to Academia! Knowledge is meant to be shared for the advancement of mankind. That's why we publish. But here's the crunch: We must ALWAYS ALWAYS acknowledge our sources. In research, acknowledgment is synonymous with expressing gratitude.
Now, I know overhearing Euric in Studio 3 is not quite the same as reading a research paper in Harvard. But the principle is the same. In the free flowing knowledge world of our architectural studio, design ideas are meant to be shared. That's why we always want you guys to work in the studio (hehe). And there's no need to pin a medal on Euric at the next presentation...haha. A casual remark on how helpful his idea was in the development of your scheme is good enough. And in that respect...you owe Marc, too. So, say it...friends not taken for granted, right?
I hope this solves your predicament, albeit in a roundabout old fashion sorta way.
You write well...and if u don't mind me saying...better than you speak..haha. (Marginally.)
A conversation like this would benefit the others greatly...esp. those less conversant with the English language, those not as fortunate as you are. Why not bring it upon yourself to post in the blog for their benefit? The ripest are kindest to the raw, someone once said (and it was quoted by C.S.Lewis in his wonderful autobiagraphy, Surprised By Joy.) And just like you gained from overhearing Euric, some---though silent---may find release through reading you.
Architect
Interior Designer
Educator
that is all..thank you
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