This is such bullshit..

Free online research endangers not-for-profit publishers
PC Pro - Nov 25, 2005
The Royal Society has warned against making scientific research available freely on the Web, claiming that it could harm debate. The 345-year-old UK science academy fears that a move to Internet publishing proposed by Research Councils UK (RCUK) could lead to the closure of not-for-profit publishers that have sustained the exchange of knowledge since the first peer-reviewed scientific journals were circulated in the 17th century.

'At least a third of all journals are published by not-for-profit organisations,' it said in a statement. 'The Royal Society and other learned bodies currently use their publishing surpluses to fund activities such as academic conferences and public lectures, which are also crucial to the exchange of knowledge. A loss of income by not-for-profit publishers would lead to a reduction in, or cessation of, these activities.'

These are the same people that would admonish religious people for wanting to teach creation instead of evolution. A loose analogy, but they need to get with the times. As I see it, it can only fuel the debate, as more people will have access to the research material needed for the debate.

Then there is the fact that the debate itself will evolve and eventually go online. There is nothing preventing an online journal with peer review, and in fact would be easier and more cost effective to manage. And those 'activities' crucial to the debate will not go away. These people live for this. It is the most common goal for building a resume to these people, besides an education. I'm pretty sure tenure at a prestigious university, hell any university, requires being published in the journals or having a book under one's belt. It doesn't even matter if the book is widely read, as long as it has been published. I'm not sure if this is 100% accurate, but it's close.

Anyway, these people criticizing electronic information need to adapt. It is obviously the way things are going, and you would think that a bunch of intellectuals would realize this and embrace the new. Instead they are acting like a bunch of born again christians that want nothing more to stagnate while they wait for the glorified place waiting for them when they die.....