Quote:
Originally Posted by TGS
...I am not sure wherein the great ethical divide lies between the downloader who "feels" justified in downloading because they have paid for a version of the book in another format, and the downloader who "feels" justified in downloading because they can get away with it.
|
Simple: One of the two is making an ethical decision: evaluating the situation and deciding whether or not what he is considering doing is the right thing to do, and can be ethically justified. The governing factor is internal: his beliefs and his conscience. The other is ignoring ethics entirely, throwing right and wrong to the winds, and making his decision solely on whether or not there is an external constraint: whether or not he can get away with it.
It's the difference between character and reputation. The first downloader is governed by his character, and how his own conscience will regard his decision. The second is concerned only for his reputation, in the form of a criminal record or civil legal action against him. In short, they're both making the same decision, but the primary factor in how they make that decision is completely different.
(I say "primary factor" because of course the risk of reputation damage does occur to the first downloader, and it's highly unlikely that the second downloader is completely without conscience, so both factors enter into both decisions to some degree)