Peripheral 'Scientifc Writing' Genres: 1: The Open Letter

As noted in class this week, one type of genre that can be said to fallen in genre of scientific writing if it is braodly defined is that of the "[Scientific] Open Letter". According to the post in Wikipedia:

"An open letter is a letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter addressed to an individual but provided to the public through newspapers and other media, such as a letter to the editor or blog. Especially common are critical open letters addressed to political leaders. Letters patent are another form of open letter in which a legal document is both mailed to a person by the government, and publicized so that all are made aware of it. Open letters can also be addressed directly to a group rather than any individual."

Among the reasons, noted in the Wikipedia article, motivating the form of an 'open letter' are:
- To state the author's position on a particular issue
- As an attempt to start or end a wider dialogue around an issue
- As an attempt to focus broad attention on the letter's recipient, prompting them to some action
- For humor value [or]
- to simply to make public a communication that must take place as a letter for reasons of formality

Among famous examples of 'open letters' which may be well known to you are:

1. Many of the epistles of The Bible (such as the Pauline epistles)
2. Martin Luther King's Letter from Birmingham Jail
3. Bill Gates's Open Letter to Hobbyists attacking sharing and cooperation in software development, practices of which he did not approve

Among Open Letters related to the field of science are:

1. First Open Letter about the Freedom of Science to some 290 public figures, personalities, newspapers, and journals in Europe and the USA [2006]
2. Meth Science Not Stigma: An Open Letter to the Media David C. Lewis, M.D et al July 25, 2005
3. Open Letter from World Scientists to All Governments Concerning Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)[2000]

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