“I didn’t know”, said the author after being revealed of self-plagiarism by Science magazine, “that this is improper. I thought it might help informing the Chinese audience of the latest findings of the world.”

How sorry she was, afterward!

But, do we also do nothing before guilt is finally committed in other ethical aspect, except asking people “Please! Please be good!”—?

Science today has outgrown the age when scientists were only wealthy nobles with amateur interest in it. We are not dealing with a spoonful of Cavendish’s or Faraday’s, but unmanageably huge piles of papers and proposals by employees who only work for their salaries and seek promotions. Punishments upon disclosure case by case only teach a lesson that somebody is simply unlucky. And who listens to the preaching, any way?

Saints who are immune to fame and fortune are rare, as well as wisemen who always foresee the long-term consequence of an act. That’s why the most part of our society is managed in the current way, except in science community where we seem to rely too much on self-discipline solely.