An Apology, Sort of

I apologize, sort of, for all the been-there-done-thats.  But often, when I look at footnotes, it's disconcerting to find that the author and others are unaware of when the idea was first raised.

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[Patrick S. O'Donnell]

It's irresponsible scholarship: it may be due to carelessness, ignorance, a desire to appear "original," or several other reasons (and combination thereof). But, for academics, it's inexcusable. Thus one should rather expect a wholehearted apology, an act of contrition, from those who commit these sins of omission.