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All men by nature desire to know. And indication of this is the delight we take in our senses;
for even apart from their usefulness they are loved for themselves; and above all others the sense of sight.
For not only with a view to action, but even when we are not going to do anything, we prefer sight to almost
anything else. The reason is that this, most of all the senses, sight makes us know and brings to light
many differences between things
Aristotle, Metaphysics
What is Open Science?
Open science is based on two ideas. The first is that science benefits from the
open sharing of information. The second is that open science emphasises challenge in open forum.
Open science stands in contradistinction to the closed system of refereeing and the paywalls that
characterise university science.
Open science does not serve the interests of commercial corporations, but people's desire to learn.
Open science is charged only at the rate needed to sustain the work (if it
can be made free then so much the better). Open science is linked to the concept of open education; which
is education that is affordable for anybody with the time, interest and ability.
Shen and Open Science
In the past the Shen project was very dependent on selling hardcopy to keep the work funded. Today
the Shen project is in a better position and so, true to the open science principle of easy access, the hardcopy guide
to Shen is now freely readable online.
Helping Us
But we are still reliant, as is everybody in today's economy, on funding to drive our work forward
and if you gain benefit from the 1,800+ web pages on this site, you can help us do even more by
donating to the cause of Shen open science and open education .
Shen Open Science Prize
Shen has been translated into 15 computer languages and we are instituting a prize,
the Shen Open Science Prize, of a free copy of The Book of Shen, to people who have made significant
contributions to Shen or who help to keep it running.
| Winner | Date |
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Bruno Deferrari | October 2021 |
Mark Tarver
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LATEST NEWS
The open science initiative.
Hundreds of free online pages on Shen technology to appear in 2025.
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