For nine years as the Ethicist at the New York Times Magazine, Randy Cohen has been resolute in his tough arguments about topics from Adderall use in college to the ethics of being given the wrong change. On Monday evening he pointedly discussed another controversial subject - plagiarism - in his lecture, "Plagiarism: A kind of defense."
In the lecture presented by the Graduate School, Cohen spoke to a half-full Salomon 101 and defended plagiarism in various forms of writing such as novels and some television writing. "I'm all for plagiarism in its place," he said, but he noted that journalism is not the place for lifting words from others - "every quote is meant to be sourced, and every source is meant to be cited."
Cohen began the lecture by describing Ian McEwan's alleged plagiarism his 2001 novel, "Atonement." The British author was accused of taking full sentences from a 1977 book by Lucilla Andrews called "No Time for Romance." Cohen wondered whether McEwan's plagiarism could be considered "a legitimate literary technique."
"Every idea has many ... sources," Cohen said. "Why isn't every novelist covered in shame for not citing the editor?" he asked.
In his defense of plagiarism in novels, Cohen looked to his own work for "Late Night with David Letterman." During his time writing for the program, Cohen sometimes found the show's work later was plagiarized by other sources, but he said it gave him "a total sense of superiority. ... They stole because they had to."
"Owning an idea is a very slippery concept," he said. Nevertheless, "getting credit meant something emotionally," he said, even when credit was simply being listed with other writers in the closing credits of the show.
Cohen suggested that plagiarism could sometimes be taken as a form of flattery. Still, he said, the gravity of plagiarism is clear. He spent the rest of his talk outlining the reasons he thinks people care so deeply about plagiarism in the first place.
People think it is "profoundly moral to give credit where it's due to the creator of a work," Cohen said. To make his point, he referred to the Renaissance, when the primary painter had other artists help paint specific sections. Nowadays, however, "uncredited writing is becoming a very rare thing."
The second reason people care so much about plagiarism is because "we're petty, jealous people," Cohen said.
He then suggested that perhaps "we say we do (care) but we very rarely actually destroy anyone for plagiarism." Still, "for journalists this is a career killer," he said. Plagiarism in journalism gives "a real blow" to the relationship between reader and writer.
Despite its negative effects, plagiarism can benefit those who have not been accused, Cohen said, giving "professional vanity" to the innocent.
Nevertheless, specific types of plagiarism, such as a failure to cite sources in an academic context, are "not so fine." Academic footnotes, Cohen said, "are an aid to the reader," and a failure to cite sources "undermines academic culture."
"Context is everything" when distinguishing between plagiarism in the academic world, in fiction writing and in journalism, Cohen said. Though "we all draw on the work of other people," each writer must "consider the reader's expectations." After his talk, Cohen took questions from the audience.
In answering how to treat nonfiction writing, he likened the genre to journalism and suggested that similar standards should be upheld.
Another audience member asked about the ethics of political speechwriting. That genre of writing is ethical, Cohen said, because "no one is deceived" - the audience knows politicians use speechwriters.
Students left the two-hour talk impressed by Cohen's defense. "At first I was a little skeptical because we've always been taught to treat any kind of writing very delicately," said Connie Zheng '10. His arguments were "pretty compelling," she said, and he was "well-spoken."
Earlier in the day Cohen held a discussion with graduate students at the Faculty Club. He began his talk there by describing how he first landed the job of the Ethicist. "I do gather that the other candidates were more qualified than I," Cohen said, but after he and the other three candidates answered the same three test questions, he was chosen for the job.
Now, almost a decade later, Cohen still reads all the letters he gets. "You get a glimpse of what people are thinking about," he told The Herald.
Cohen works from home and mainly uses e-mail to receive letters from the public, he told The Herald. Using e-mail allows the process to be more conversational, he said, and also allows people to say things they wouldn't say otherwise. "They can't see you so they can't get any cues," he said. "It's so easy to hit 'send.' "
When he first started as the Ethicist, Cohen wasn't sure how long the project would last. "We'd underestimated how treacherous the readers could be," he told The Herald.
Cohen spent almost a quarter of his time at the Faculty Club discussing his recent response about the ethics of students using Adderall to study in college. Though taking Adderall when it is not prescribed is both illegal and potentially unhealthy, it is not unethical, Cohen said.
"I'm sorry about the plague that's devouring your campus," Cohen joked to the audience.
The point of college, Cohen said, is not to engage in competition but "to become an educated person." Therefore, use of Adderall does not necessarily affect anyone besides the user. "You can't be unethical all by yourself," Cohen said.
- Additional reporting by Debbie Lehmann
