This quote is taken from the book «Just for Fun» — a sarcastic biography of Linus Torvalds, creator of the Linux kernel and the git version control system, written by Linus himself together with David Diamond in 2001.
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For a fuller understanding of the context, let me quote a piece of the chapter this quote was taken from:
«It’s not that I don’t take sides on anything. I’m simply firmly against imposing your morals on other people. In place of “morality” you can substitute “religion,” “computing preferences,” or really anything else. If imposing morality is wrong, then it’s doubly wrong to enforce it by law. I deeply believe in freedom of personal choice, and that’s why I think that in matters of morality I should be the one making the decisions. I want to decide for myself. I am firmly against unnecessary rules imposed by society. I’m convinced that in his own home, a person should have the right to do whatever he wants — as long as it doesn’t harm anyone.«
Regarding the main message, I agree with the author, and I’ll extend the thought a little further. Modern trends dictate public morality. But who sets these trends? Do they, forgive the tautology, have the moral right to dictate public morality to the entire world? If we consider trends as a phenomenon chaotically formed on the internet with only limited influence, that’s not so scary, and it becomes merely a matter of personal beliefs. Deliberate actions are another matter entirely.
The authors of this book are known in the world of information technology as people who actively promote the ideas and philosophy of open and free software.
For these guys (the book’s authors), the concept of “freedom of morality” started, first and foremost, with the freedom and availability to use and distribute the software they created and used themselves. As I see it, promoting this kind of philosophy is, for them, one way of telling and showing the world the importance of freedom of spirit and thought, the ability to express one’s opinions and views on life, and the freedom to form one’s own point of view about absolutely everything around us. And, of course, to share that with everyone else. All of this, I believe, is a necessary tool for achieving progress in personal growth and for realizing one’s own potential, which is unique to every person.
Link to the book.
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