Quote:
Originally Posted by Iphinome
I think the argument is the pipes and wrenches used by plumbers are paid for. While a writer pays for pencil and paper the use of the culture around them didn't cost them a penny.
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One could equally say that the plumber is not inventing out of thin air the techniques of plumbing - he's using the knowledge of all the thousands of years of plumbing that predate him.
Pretty much any activity one can think of involves the re-use of knowledge gained by others; writing certainly isn't unique in this respect.