Critical Essay: Stage 2

Stage 2
Topic

Is there ever a time when remixing or reusing someone else's work is actually a better response to the rhetorical situation or a better use of creative energy than starting over from scratch and creating something totally new and original?

Thesis –

Reusing or remixing someone else’s work may prove to be a much more productive and efficient use of creative energy than producing the entire work from scratch in most but not all cases.

Argument(s)

If man were to start everything from scratch, life would have been very different. If we were to start rediscovering the wheel every time, it would be very difficult if not impossible to make any sort of technological advancements. Einstein, one of the, if not the greatest of scientists to have graced the world and the postulator of the general and special theory of relativity said that “ If I can further than anyone else, it is only because I am standing on the shoulders of giants.” , thereby acknowledging the past work of other scientist that enabled him to envision further and greater than anyone else. If he were to start of inventing, observing and discovering from ground zero, the prospect of furthering science the way in which he did would be absolutely impossible. In some sense, nothing we do is truly original. For example an economic theory may explain a totally novel phenomenon- but all that it does is simplify a phenomenon in term of already pre-defined terms and ideas. We always build on something that has already been discovered- a common base of sorts. Extrapolating this idea t the extent of copyright laws suggests that many a time reusing and remixing pre-existing works in a new and novel manner may prove to be a much more extensive and optimal use of creative energy. Although it is important to give credit to the person originally responsible for the base work it is not mandatory to absolutely restrict the idea without allowing it to be reopened in different modes. Another example of this phenomenon is the manner in which engines came to be integrated into cars. Originally developed to help wind driven ships, today a modern alternation of the steam engine runs cars, buses and even airplanes. Had the internal working and the close details of this discovery been kept private and confidential- maybe these amazing inventions would not have been conceived.
More arguments of this manner- but also some that argue that this may not be applicable in all situations but only certain scenarios- stressing on the idea that inventors deserve praise the credit they deserve.