The Mathematical Association of America is a professional organization for college mathematics faculty. Its main publication is the "American Mathematical Monthly".
The June-July 2005 issue of the "Monthly" has an article "What Is Just?", written by Michel Balinski. Here's a summary, found on the MAA's website:
Equity in the sharing of things is an ever present concern, whether it regard taxes, pensions, inheritance, the allocation of costs and benefits among associates, apportioning seats among political parties or regions, or setting priorities among patients waiting for transplants of hearts, kidneys, or livers. Exactly how to share things found Aristotle and the Talmud expounding opposing views. A particularly enigmatic ruling of the Talmud, explained only some two millennia after the fact, shows the importance of a concept that is fundamental to all rules of fair division ... and is but common sense. Known as "cconsistency" in the technical literature, a better word may be "ccoherence." It is the reason why what is just is so often confused with what is proportional.
On the first page of the article, Balinski quotes the opening of Bava Metzia 2a ("Two hold a garment." and so forth). Later on in the article, he discusses a complicated problem of asset division found on Qetubbot 93a. (WRT the latter, he references the Aumann/Maschler solution that was published in J. Econom. Theory in 1985.)
Unfortunately, Balinski says (in two footnotes, one for each passage) that the Talmudic material is available for download at http://www.come-and-hear.com.
This scurrilous website has been discussed in SCJM. The last I heard, the state of affairs was as follows:
(1) The website has a subtle anti-Semitic agenda.
(2) The website contains the Soncino translation of the Talmud, in violation of Soncino's copyright.
Clearly, some kind of reaction is called for. FTTB, I would assume that the author is unaware of the issues involved. Assuming this to be the case, a private email would be the answer; exactly what points should be made?
I'm looking for factual information, as well as suggestions to give the author (e.g., he should write a followup article to the Monthly, saying such-and-such). If I were to pursue such a course and if he were to follow this advice, I would want to be 100% sure that any statements about this website were accurate.
> The Mathematical Association of America is a professional organization > for college mathematics faculty. Its main publication is the > "American Mathematical Monthly".
> The June-July 2005 issue of the "Monthly" has an article "What Is > Just?", written by Michel Balinski. Here's a summary, found on the > MAA's website:
> Equity in the sharing of things is an ever present concern, whether > it regard taxes, pensions, inheritance, the allocation of costs and > benefits among associates, apportioning seats among political > parties or regions, or setting priorities among patients waiting for > transplants of hearts, kidneys, or livers. Exactly how to share > things found Aristotle and the Talmud expounding opposing views. A > particularly enigmatic ruling of the Talmud, explained only some two > millennia after the fact, shows the importance of a concept that is > fundamental to all rules of fair division ... and is but common > sense. Known as "cconsistency" in the technical literature, a > better word may be "ccoherence." It is the reason why what is just > is so often confused with what is proportional.
> On the first page of the article, Balinski quotes the opening of Bava > Metzia 2a ("Two hold a garment." and so forth). Later on in the > article, he discusses a complicated problem of asset division found on > Qetubbot 93a. (WRT the latter, he references the Aumann/Maschler > solution that was published in J. Econom. Theory in 1985.)
> Unfortunately, Balinski says (in two footnotes, one for each passage) > that the Talmudic material is available for download at > http://www.come-and-hear.com.
> This scurrilous website has been discussed in SCJM. The last I heard, > the state of affairs was as follows:
> (1) The website has a subtle anti-Semitic agenda.
> (2) The website contains the Soncino translation of the Talmud, in > violation of Soncino's copyright.
> Clearly, some kind of reaction is called for. FTTB, I would assume > that the author is unaware of the issues involved. Assuming this to > be the case, a private email would be the answer; exactly what points > should be made?
> I'm looking for factual information, as well as suggestions to give > the author (e.g., he should write a followup article to the Monthly, > saying such-and-such). If I were to pursue such a course and if he > were to follow this advice, I would want to be 100% sure that any > statements about this website were accurate.
> Thanks.
One solution to this situation would be possibly to initiate talks with Soncino for another organisation to host their translation on the Internet, even possibly if they were to make a charge for it.
I would imagine it is one thing individuals on the Internet suggesting that people access the Talmud on this website, but I would have thought that Soncino would be more interested in a presumably reputable organisation such as the AMA suggesting that their readers download it in this way.
I doubt that the AMA would be quite so amused if their journals were scanned so that anyone could access them without making any payment to the AMA.
So you could write to the AMA, write to Soncino, and also write to the author.
> Unfortunately, Balinski says (in two footnotes, one for each passage) > that the Talmudic material is available for download at > http://www.come-and-hear.com.
> This scurrilous website has been discussed in SCJM. The last I heard, > the state of affairs was as follows:
> (1) The website has a subtle anti-Semitic agenda.
--------- Not subtle. Absolutely blatant. My understanding is that Elizabeth Dilling (the author) wrote much of the material at the request of the Natsis to use for anti-Jewish propaganda purposes. Best regards, ----Cindy S.
> > This scurrilous website has been discussed in SCJM. The last I heard, > > the state of affairs was as follows:
> > (1) The website has a subtle anti-Semitic agenda.
> --------- > Not subtle. Absolutely blatant. My understanding is that Elizabeth Dilling > (the author) wrote much of the material at the request of the Natsis to use > for anti-Jewish propaganda purposes. > Best regards,
-------- What I wrote above may not be correct but if you want an eyeful, do a websearch on Elizabeth Dilling.
--------start quote---- Chicago-born Elizabeth Dilling was the most important woman of the far right of the 1930s. After three years at the University of Chicago (she left without her degree), Dilling married and traveled extensively. Trips to Germany, where she attended Nazi meetings, and the Soviet Union, which appalled her, largely colored her thought on international relations, awakening her sympathy for fascism and the Nazi movement in particular, and her antipathy for communism. After being inspired by the teachings of Iris McCord of Chicago's Moody Bible Institute, Dilling began a career as an anti-communist speaker, researcher, and organizer. She compiled a list of suspected communists entitled The Red Network and gradually came to believe that an international Jewish conspiracy lay behind communism. --end quote---
> The Mathematical Association of America is a professional organization > for college mathematics faculty. Its main publication is the > "American Mathematical Monthly".
> The June-July 2005 issue of the "Monthly" has an article "What Is > Just?", written by Michel Balinski. Here's a summary, found on the > MAA's website:
<snip> > Unfortunately, Balinski says (in two footnotes, one for each passage) > that the Talmudic material is available for download at > http://www.come-and-hear.com.
> This scurrilous website has been discussed in SCJM. The last I heard, > the state of affairs was as follows:
> (1) The website has a subtle anti-Semitic agenda.
> (2) The website contains the Soncino translation of the Talmud, in > violation of Soncino's copyright.
> Clearly, some kind of reaction is called for. FTTB, I would assume > that the author is unaware of the issues involved. Assuming this to > be the case, a private email would be the answer; exactly what points > should be made?
You could point out to him and the publishers that the web site is using pirated material in violation of copyright law, and that by linking to or referencing the site, he's encouraging others to participate in the theft of stolen material. It's really no different than if he linked to a site with pirated music available for download except that the material is visual rather than audio. As a matter of journalistic ethics, I would expect the publisher to include an explanatory retraction of the reference in the next available issue, telling readers where they can find a legitimate copy and why they shouldn't visit the nazi site.
"Eliyahu Rooff" <lroo...@hotmail.com> writes: > You could point out to him and the publishers that the web site is using > pirated material in violation of copyright law, and that by linking to > or referencing the site, he's encouraging others to participate in the > theft of stolen material. It's really no different than if he linked to > a site with pirated music available for download except that the > material is visual rather than audio. As a matter of journalistic > ethics, I would expect the publisher to include an explanatory > retraction of the reference in the next available issue, telling readers > where they can find a legitimate copy and why they shouldn't visit the > nazi site.
>> You could point out to him and the publishers that the web site is >> using >> pirated material in violation of copyright law, and that by linking >> to >> or referencing the site, he's encouraging others to participate in >> the >> theft of stolen material. It's really no different than if he linked >> to >> a site with pirated music available for download except that the >> material is visual rather than audio. As a matter of journalistic >> ethics, I would expect the publisher to include an explanatory >> retraction of the reference in the next available issue, telling >> readers >> where they can find a legitimate copy and why they shouldn't visit >> the >> nazi site.
> Where can they find a legitimate copy?
From the publisher. It's part of how the folks at Soncino make their living.
>> You could point out to him and the publishers that the web site is using >> pirated material in violation of copyright law, and that by linking to >> or referencing the site, he's encouraging others to participate in the >> theft of stolen material. It's really no different than if he linked to >> a site with pirated music available for download except that the >> material is visual rather than audio. As a matter of journalistic >> ethics, I would expect the publisher to include an explanatory >> retraction of the reference in the next available issue, telling readers >> where they can find a legitimate copy and why they shouldn't visit the >> nazi site.
The CDROM is at Yale Univ Library, Univ of Virginia, Princeton, Chicago Uni, Brandeis, Barnard College, Yeshiva Uni, George Washington Univ, Vanderbilt Uni, Touro College, Univ of St Thomas, McGill Univ (Canada).
