[Textop-en-phil] How we all can get to work

[Larry Sanger]

Dear all,

After some attempts to attract some specialists on the texts we've chosen to
serve as editors of the pilot project, I have to admit I've only had a few
expressions of interest from some (actually excellent) Hobbes experts.  But
we do have 21 people on textop-en-phil, and something like 8-10 of them have
specifically expressed interest in helping out with the pilot project.
That's a quorum, albeit "leaderless."

I am strongly inclined, therefore, to suggest that we all just get to work!

In particular, I suggest (and would like any of your comments on this) that

(1) we proceed *without* any editors, but simply with the general rule that,
if a specialist is on the scene, we defer to him or her on issues of his or
her specialization; and

(2) you feel free to choose any works of English language philosophy
*clearly* in the public domain (so, not Russell--sorry) you personally feel
moved to collate, so long as you are committed to finishing the collation of
that work.  Want to do Wollstonecraft?  Have at it.  Hume?  I might help
out.  Something more obscure like Reid?  Great!  As long as you're not just
doing one or two paragraphs, but commit to doing the whole thing
systematically, you have my blessing.

Discussion?  Objections?  Please don't think this "has been decided."  I
want your input.  If there's no discussion, though, I'll be posting a "let's
get started" announcement within the next week.

The next thing I personally will do for you all is (finally) to write up a
general instruction page on how to collate texts, generally speaking--based
on my own experience.  After I've got it drafted I hope you will feel free
to edit it based more or less on common sense and consensus.  (So anyone,
including Mrs. Ifcher who despite not being a philosopher has loads of
common sense, could do that.)  At this point, with this few people,
consensus (and common sense...) is possible.  Later on, however, we'll have
to have a more formalized decisionmaking process.  What's great is that
*we*, you and I, can now set out the general features of the process.  What
we decide about how to proceed will probably govern this project.  I don't
know about you, but I find that exciting.

Another thing I've been working on, by the way, is a list of the benefits of
the Collation Project.  It's a *huge* list and very inspirational.  I'll
post it soon, I hope.--I'm also at work on a FAQ.

You might see me at work on the wiki this weekend.

--Larry