Whence the Virtue of Open

WHENCE THE VIRTUE OF OPEN The word 'whence' means "from what place, source, or cause", and that is the question I would like to address with respect to the virtue of 'open'. The question is raised in the context of Heather Morrison's recent comments on The Dialectic of Open...author Stephen Downes goes on to present substantive and original comments and critique on the dialectic of open.