Nomic, a game centered on the rule of self-amendment, emerged from the mind of philosopher Peter Suber, reflecting his deep interest in self-referential paradoxes. Born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1951, he built a multifaceted career bridging the rigors of formal logic and the practical application of open access to scholarly research and scientific knowledge.
Academic Background
Suber earned his undergraduate degree from Earlham College in 1973. He later completed his PhD in philosophy at Northwestern University in 1978, where his dissertation explored the thought of Søren Kierkegaard. He subsequently obtained a Juris Doctor degree from the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 1982. Between his graduate studies, he worked as a professional stand-up comic, including a 1976 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
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During his long tenure as a professor at Earlham College, which spanned from 1982 to 2003, Suber taught logic, law, and philosophy. His scholarship often addresses self-reference, ethics, and the history of philosophy. He authored The Paradox of Self-Amendment, a study regarding self-referential legal paradoxes, and The Case of the Speluncean Explorers: Nine New Opinions, which offers a contemporary rehearing of Lon Fuller’s classic hypothetical legal case.
Advocacy for Open Access
Suber transitioned into a prominent role in the open access movement, participating in the 2001 meeting that launched the Budapest Open Access Initiative. He directed the Harvard Open Access Project and served as a senior researcher at the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition. Through the Open Access Directory and his widely read newsletters, he shaped global discourse on the distribution of academic research.
Digital Initiatives and Authorship
His 2012 book, Open Access, published by MIT Press, exemplifies his commitment to free information, as it was released under a Creative Commons license. He also founded the Open Access Tracking Project and led the development of TagTeam, an open-source social-tagging platform for the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. His writings remain primary resources for understanding the information commons.
Fast facts
- Born: 1951, Evanston
- Education: Earlham College; Northwestern University
- Notable Game: Nomic
- Key Publication: The Paradox of Self-Amendment
- Academic Home: Harvard University
- Notable Award: Lyman Ray Patterson Copyright Award (2011)
- Spouse: Liffey Thorpe
- Residency: Brooksville, Maine
Questions readers ask
What is Nomic?
Nomic is a game created by Suber that focuses on the mechanics of self-referential rule changes, where players can modify the rules of the game itself.
What is the focus of the Harvard Open Access Project?
The project, directed by Suber, focuses on promoting and implementing open access to scholarly research and academic communication.
Achievements
- Notable work: Nomic
- Notable work: Open Access Directory
- Held posts at Harvard University, Earlham College and Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition
- Fields: open access, philosophy and law
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