--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The world's entire scientific and…" description: "\"The world's entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries in books and journals, is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/aaron-swartz-11684_being_the-world-s-entire-scientific-and-cultur_2435160.png" --- # The world's entire scientific and cultural heritage… ![“The world's entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries in books and journals, is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a handful of private corporations.” quote by Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/aaron-swartz-11684_being_the-world-s-entire-scientific-and-cultur_2435160.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/aaron-swartz-11684_being_the-world-s-entire-scientific-and-cultur_2435160.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d1/aaron-swartz-11684_being_the-world-s-entire-scientific-and-cultur_2435160.png) > “The world's entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries in books and journals, is increasingly being digitized and locked up by a handful of private corporations.” [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The digitization of knowledge is increasingly controlled by a few private entities, limiting public access. **In simple terms:** Private firms hoard digitized cultural knowledge. Key Takeaway Advocate for open access to digital knowledge. Themes knowledge access corporate control Mood concerned urgent Type political activist When to use this quote - libraries - research - education - policy making Key Concepts digital rights information equity Questions to Reflect On - What steps can protect public access to digitized heritage? - How can we balance profit with the public good? A Different Perspective Corporate control may stifle innovation and equity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Centuries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/centuries/) [Corporations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corporations/) [Cultural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultural/) [Cultural heritage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultural-heritage/) [Digitized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digitized-330593/) [Entire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire/) [Handful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handful/) [Heritage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heritage/) [Heritage Published](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heritage-published-330909/) [Increasingly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increasingly/) [Increasingly Digitized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increasingly-digitized-330906/) [Journals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journals/) [Journals Increasingly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journals-increasingly-330908/) [Locked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/locked/) [Locked up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/locked-up/) [Over](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over/) [Private](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/private/) [Published](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/published/) [Published Centuries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/published-centuries-330907/) [Scientific](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientific/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves. The world's entire scientific and cultural heritage, published over centuries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/but-like-all-power-there-are-those-who-want-to-keep-it-for-themselves/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [We need to download scientific journals and upload them to file-sharing networks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/we-need-to-download-scientific-journals-and-upload-them-to-file/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [“I read somewhere that all the digitized announcers on the tube have names.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-lowe/i-read-somewhere-that-all-the-digitized-announcers-on-the-tube-have/) [Keith Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-lowe/) > [Getting your letters or pictures digitized. I don't think it's that important. The more you spend on your materials, you're given the sense that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mackaye/getting-your-letters-or-pictures-digitized-i-don-t-think-it-s-that/) [Ian MacKaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mackaye/) > [You look at marketing: everything that's happening in marketing is digitized. Everything that's happening in finance is digitized. So pretty much every industry, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satya-nadella/you-look-at-marketing-everything-that-s-happening-in-marketing-is/) [Satya Nadella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satya-nadella/) > [3D printing has digitized the entire manufacturing process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/3d-printing-has-digitized-the-entire-manufacturing-process/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [As everything becomes digitized, there's the idea that things that can't be digitized become more valuable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/as-everything-becomes-digitized-there-s-the-idea-that-things-that-can/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [We have to become more digitized and based on data, but ideas and passion will last forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-levy/we-have-to-become-more-digitized-and-based-on-data-but-ideas-and/) [Maurice Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-levy/) > [“triumphantly digitized contemporaneity’?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/triumphantly-digitized-contemporaneity/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [In the Iraq war, for instance, so much of the information is digitized and can easily be wiped out. That will make it very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-beevor/in-the-iraq-war-for-instance-so-much-of-the-information-is-digitized/) [Antony Beevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-beevor/) > [When my family goes to sleep, I start clicking, combing through digitized phone books, school yearbooks, and Google Earth views of crime scenes: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-mcnamara/when-my-family-goes-to-sleep-i-start-clicking-combing-through/) [Michelle McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-mcnamara/) > [Since the photographic medium has been digitized, a fixed definition of the term photography has become impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-gursky/since-the-photographic-medium-has-been-digitized-a-fixed-definition/) [Andreas Gursky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-gursky/) > [It's amazing what's buried in old, poorly digitized PDFs hosted on some random professor's website.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-munroe/it-s-amazing-what-s-buried-in-old-poorly-digitized-pdfs-hosted-on/) [Randall Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-munroe/) > [“I've decided that has been the great achievement of our age: to so thoroughly flood the planet with megabits that every image and fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/i-ve-decided-that-has-been-the-great-achievement-of-our-age-to-so/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [I want to continue to strengthen Harvard's fabulous collections in old printed material, but at the same time, I want to help Harvard move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-darnton/i-want-to-continue-to-strengthen-harvard-s-fabulous-collections-in/) [Robert Darnton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-darnton/) ## More by Aaron Swartz > [Without the ability to talk about government power, there's no way for citizens to make sure this power isn't being misused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/without-the-ability-to-talk-about-government-power-there-s-no-way-for/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [Most people, it seems, stretch the truth to make themselves seem more impressive. I, it seems, stretch the truth to make myself look worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/most-people-it-seems-stretch-the-truth-to-make-themselves-seem-more/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [As the Internet breaks down the last justifications for a professional class of politicians, it also builds up the tools for replacing them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/as-the-internet-breaks-down-the-last-justifications-for-a/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [Normally, I just sit in my quiet little room and do the small things that bring me pleasures. I read my books, I answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/normally-i-just-sit-in-my-quiet-little-room-and-do-the-small-things/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [But like all power, there are those who want to keep it for themselves. 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Not every book on sale, or every important book, or even every book in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/what-if-there-was-a-library-which-held-every-book-not-every-book-on/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [Books are totally useless unless you take their advice. If you just keep reading them, thinking "that's so insightful! that changes everything," but never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/books-are-totally-useless-unless-you-take-their-advice-if-you-just/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [But all of this action goes on in the dark, hidden underground. It’s called stealing or piracy, as if sharing a wealth of knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/but-all-of-this-action-goes-on-in-the-dark-hidden-underground-it-s/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [With enough of us, around the world, we'll not just send a strong message opposing the privatization of knowledge - we'll make it a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/with-enough-of-us-around-the-world-we-ll-not-just-send-a-strong/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [There's all sorts of stuff people want to publish anonymously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-swartz/there-s-all-sorts-of-stuff-people-want-to-publish-anonymously/) [Aaron Swartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-swartz/) > [Now, as far as I know, nobody has ever put up the U.S.'s nuclear missiles on the Internet. 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And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [I love being in Malibu. It's so cool there, and the water is just, it's nice and, and I love the beach. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-evancho/i-love-being-in-malibu-it-s-so-cool-there-and-the-water-is-just-it-s/) [Jackie Evancho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-evancho/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [I love to fish. I love the peacefulness of being around the water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evonne-goolagong-cawley/i-love-to-fish-i-love-the-peacefulness-of-being-around-the-water/) [Evonne Goolagong Cawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evonne-goolagong-cawley/) > [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/) [James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [Being a new mother is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phaedra-parks/being-a-new-mother-is-a-blessing/) [Phaedra Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phaedra-parks/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. 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