More Open
[ source ] "We should pause and ask the question," says David Wiley, "is more open always better?" The answer, of course, is "it depends". I don't keep my house open for just anyone to drop by. I keep my bank account PIN a secret. I work for the government and have a security clearance and even though we are committed to the principle of open government, we still have secrets to keep. My work on the Research Ethics Board makes clear the importance of protecting personally sensitive information. So no, more open is not always better. That's because, as David Wiley well knows, we have other priorities in life as well. Things like social justice, prosperity for all, peace and democratic governance: these define some of our common social priorities. And we also have individual priorities: caring for ourselves and our families, maintaining good health and security, finding meaning and order. You know. It's a veritable Maslow's soup once we start
