Z:gnu-www-ja-rms-nyu-2001-transcript--e929a6-So, Freedom Three is very impo/en

So, Freedom Three is very important both practically and psycho-socially. If you don't have this freedom, it causes practical material harm, because this community development doesn't happen, and we don't make powerful, reliable software. But it also causes psycho-social harm, which affects the spirit of scientific cooperation &mdash; the idea that we're working together to advance human knowledge. You see, progress in science crucially depends on people being able to work together. And nowadays though, you often find each little group of scientists acting like it's a war with each other gang of scientists and engineers. And if they don't share with each other, they're all held back.