eBook: On Catholics and Software. By Marco Fioretti. 2014
URL = http://mfioretti.com/assets/files/mfioretti-on-catholics-and-software.epub
Description
Marco Fioretti:
“This ebook collects, all in one place, my main writings from 2005 to 2013 on a specific topic: //how Catholics should choose and use software, digital standards and other digital technologies//. Please note that, while I usually write “Catholics” here, I believe that most of this ebook applies to all other Christians, and to many other religions too. As far as I know, there was almost nothing in this field when I started, and the situation today is almost the same.
In the last few years, in fact, while the quantity and quality of studies and discussions about “religion, software and the Internet” have increased greatly, they almost always seem to focus only on one side, or level, of the issue: how to not be left behind, that is how to use effectively, for the “institutional purposes” of one’s religion, the same software tools and digital standards as everybody else. As if all software and digital standards were, from an ethical point of view, neutral and perfectly equivalent to all the others. This is not the case at all, and I hope this ebook will help you to understand why I say so.
The main thesis is that while Openness (as defined in the main paper in this book, a synthesis of which I already published on the P2P Foundation blog) is good in and by itself, Catholics have even more reasons than others to promote, teach, and use it. Incidentally, this assertion may be extendable to every religion, belief system, or NGO that proposes subsidiarity, care for the poor, and similar goals (of course, this does not mean the opposite, that is, that one should be Catholic or, for that matter, “support” any established religion, in order to appreciate and practice Openness).”
Discussion
All the content of this ebook was already available online somewhere else. By republishing everything in one place, I hope to make it easier to understand the general issue, and consequently to stimulate more discussion and action about it. I also hope to gather more general support for my work in this and related areas, as explained in the “Support” section of my website.
Another reason for this ebook (and all my other free ones) is to practice ePUB-based self-publishing using exclusively Free Software, so please visit that page regularly to check if newer, more polished editions are available. For the same reason, thanks in advance to all those who will send feedback, as well as error reports and ePUB tricks or templates to make this ebook better, to [email protected].
Suggested Reading Order
The several pieces are arranged here in chronological order, one per chapter. Reading the book as-is may be the best way to proceed gradually and understand how I developed certain concepts. The last chapter, however, is also my most complete work so far on these topics: you may even start from there, and then go back to see how everything started. Your choice!
More Information
“Catholic Social Doctrine And the Openness Revolution: Natural Travel Companions?”, here reproduced with permission, was written for, and originally published by, the University of St. Thomas Law Journal, 10 U. St. Thomas L.J. 714 (2013). The Manifesto and Frequently Asked Questions of Elèutheros are under a CC-BY-ND license. The articles from stop.zona-m.net have the license specified on the website.