I just finished Stephen Few's "Now you see it" last night which is a
really great reference book on visualization. The last paragraph of the
book seems especially relevant to the discussions that I've been having
recently around open data.
The word "heresy" comes from the Greek word that means "to
choose". The negative connotation that was attached to this word long
ago was meant to mark heretics - those who chose something other than
what was expected of them - as evildoers in a time when passive
acceptance of what you were told was heralded as the height of
goodness. That led to what we now call the dark ages. Those who made
the rules and lived above them kept information to themselves. They
understood that the Truth could set people free, but they feared what
that freedom would bring if granted to anyone but themselves. Today we
live in the "information age". We dare not squander this opportunity to
foster freedom for all. Each of us can make the world a better place by
shining the light of truth on the shadows that surround us and by
demonstrating a little wisdom. It's time for a little heresy.
Locked
