Originality and Plagiarism

Can There Ever Be a Truly Original Work?
We always talk about people coming up with an original work, but can there ever be a truly original work?

Let us take the example of a writer, before he or she starts writing they think of a plot. At this stage itself the originality is lost because they think in a language (say English). When you think in English you are using the idea of a language that has already existed before. So actually this thought itself isn't original.

If you imagine you are an author and you have created your own language then what are your options while writing your book?

Either you would use a pen and start jotting down your ideas on a piece of paper or you might type it on the computer. The very act of writing using a pen is not original because it has been taught to you by someone else.

So the only way we can have absolute originality is to take a group of humans and transport them to a different planet and ensure that they have no contact with the rest of the human race. Then whatever is developed will be original.

This is an interesting scientific experiment because we can then learn about how we evolved into what we are today, and other things like how languages evolved. There again is a small problem though: During the course of our evolution even tough some of what we did was original, some of it wasn't. For example we learnt lots of things from nature, by imitating how other animals behaved. Thus perfect originality can only be obtained when as a part of a gigantic scientific experiment

a whole new planet was created just for this purpose.

There is a chance that even earth might have been created a part of a similar experiment. Still waiting for the results of my study...(Which isn't original)


In the meanwhile here are a few interesting quotes on plagiarism.

When 'Omer smote 'is bloomin' lyre, He'd 'eard men sing by land an' sea; An' what he thought 'e might require, 'E went an' took--the same as me.
Rudyard Kipling
(When Homer smote his blooming lyre, He'd heard men sing by land and sea; And what he though he might require, He went and took--the same as me.)


The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
Albert Einstein

Copy from one, it's plagiarism; copy from two, it's research.
John Milton