NationStates Jolt Archive

It's lonely back there on page 20 of the Proposed Resolutions list. So here I am, informing you that it's back there. :)

Freedom of Knowledge Act
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.


Category: Human Rights
Strength: Strong
Proposed by: Dronestia
Description:
GIVEN that many UN members worldwide ban certain books and treatises that are widely available on the global market and,

GIVEN that most UN nations encourage the ability to freely obtain scientific and historical information,

PROPOSE that the United Nations resolve that no member nation may willfully withhold scientific and historical texts from free distribution within its borders and may not restrict the flow of said texts. These texts include:
-Scientific Theory, such as the Big Bang, Steady-State, and Evolution Theories
-Scientific Fact, such as basic universal law
-Historical Fact, such as the outcome of a war, signing of an official document, etc.
-Historical Theory, such as "Who built the pyramids?"
-Et cetera.

RESOLVING that the UN create a committee to monitor the flow of information within each member nation. Should said committee discover that a nation is withholding protected information, the UN may respond in kind.



I would appreciate any kind of discussion you have on this matter in this thread.

Hmm, Catholic Europe does not support this proposal as view that some pieces of information should not be put amongst the people.

8) knowledge is the key to freedom

Knowledge is applying information. I can't just take things from my brain and just copy and paste them into others.

The Side of the Sun strongly supports the proposal from the wise and enlightened government of Dronestia. True freedom cannot be achieved by scientific and histroical censoring but by the trust of those with power, the populace is as intellagent as its rulers treat it.

8) knowledge is the key to freedom

Ignorance is bliss. Leave them alone. If they really want "knowledge," they can always leave (if it is unavailable) and get it anywhere they want.

The resolution doesn't stipulate that governments force people to read the texts, just make them freely available to anybody that wants to have them.

At first glance, the Rogue Nation of Greenspoint would support this resolution. We are all in favor of the freedom of knowledge and Information.

On second glance, however, it is not our place as a NationState, nor the place of the UN, to force other nationstates that do not hold this libertarian view of knowledge to adopt our beliefs and values.

Greenspoint cannot support this proposal.

Who is to pay for these 'texts' and their upkeep?

Am I to raise taxes above 100% just to pay for something because you said so?

Simply rephrase this proposal to "eliminate censorship" to convey the point you are attempting to put across. Additionally, I'm curious to how one decides Science and Historical "fact." Let us not forget that according to science fact the world was once flat and carried upon a turtle.

Hmm, Catholic Europe does not support this proposal as view that some pieces of information should not be put amongst the people.

Yes, we wouldn't want the lower classes to get too smart and start overthrowing the upper class, now would we?

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Kûk‡xenisi n!ok‡x'osi xno-k‡xek‡emi.-The state only exists to serve itself.
"Oppose excessive military spending, yet believe in excessive spending on junk food and plastic surgery to make all your women look like LARDASSES!"-Sino, when I criticized excessive military spending.
http://www.sulucas.com/images/steatopygia.jpg
I'm male. Note the pic of attractive women.

If you keep the resolution as is, governments will be forced to pay for the upkeep of mostly frivolous information.

If you change it to "banning censorship," governments will simply make it extremely difficult to obtain the information through bureaucratic barricades.

I would pass it if your country alone is willing to put out the information.

Knowledge is applying information. I can't just take things from my brain and just copy and paste them into others.

you can't??? whats wrong with you!?

Well anyways, i can never stop censoring of information, it might lead to the downfall of my government, like russia when they stopped censoring books and such communism fell... well that was pretty much at the same time but who cares... never!

The key to knowledge is knowing both sides of the coin in all matters. The Holy Empire of Juanky sees nothing wrong with this resolution and will vote for it. Though the Holy Empire does not appreciate the raising of taxes, and wouldn't mind it slightly reworded to have the same effect but by different means.

Then you need a form of government that isn't prone to collapse without censorship.

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Kûk‡xenisi n!ok‡x'osi xno-k‡xek‡emi.-The state only exists to serve itself.
"Oppose excessive military spending, yet believe in excessive spending on junk food and plastic surgery to make all your women look like LARDASSES!"-Sino, when I criticized excessive military spending.
http://www.sulucas.com/images/steatopygia.jpg
I'm male. Note the pic of attractive women.

You obviously must have read my post wrong if you were talking to me.

I do not agree that all information to be readily available. If you allow information to flow freely, you will also allow Mis-information to flow. That is something that we do not want.

Knowledge is a two-edged sword, it can benfit and can harm. A good example is Atomic Fission and Nuclear Fusion. Is it worth the trouble to release information on the process? Would we be willing to pay the price in human lives if it is used incorrectly?

Also, knowledge, as we know it, is biased. History is a good example. A quick look at the history books of the world will tell you that there is no such thing as a Balanced and objective view.

The Opressed People of Lumpy Nuts say that information should be controlled

We trust our intelligent citizens to decide for themselves which information is reliable and which is not.

More light; less heat.

Hmm, Catholic Europe does not support this proposal as view that some pieces of information should not be put amongst the people.

Yes, we wouldn't want the lower classes to get too smart and start overthrowing the upper class, now would we?

Catholic Europe is a socially run economy/country. The government has outlawed private enterprise.

Hmm, Catholic Europe does not support this proposal as view that some pieces of information should not be put amongst the people.

Yes, we wouldn't want the lower classes to get too smart and start overthrowing the upper class, now would we?

Catholic Europe is a socially run economy/country. The government has outlawed private enterprise.

So what kinds of information would you restrict from public access?

I throw my support behind this one, as long as richer nations are willing to foot more of the bill to help the third-world nations that may not be able to afford something like this. If I fall in that category, I'm willing.

Dronestia is a fully socialized government as well, Catholic Europe. We concentrate heavily on learning and the arts. Every year we export hundreds of thousands of books to other nations who are not so fortunate. The UN nations will not have to seperately finance the production of books, but simply make no law prohibiting a person from reading them. Dronestian Publishing is currently developing a plan to make books and magazines cheaper than ever to supply the world (at least as much as possible). It is our belief that any person, no matter what race, creed, or nationality, should be able to pick up a book and read.

Why would you restrict information?

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Kûk‡xenisi n!ok‡x'osi xno-k‡xek‡emi.-The state only exists to serve itself.
"Oppose excessive military spending, yet believe in excessive spending on junk food and plastic surgery to make all your women look like LARDASSES!"-Sino, when I criticized excessive military spending.
http://www.sulucas.com/images/steatopygia.jpg
I'm male. Note the pic of attractive women.

The key to knowledge is knowing both sides of the coin in all matters.

That's assuming the coin only has two sides.