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Originally Posted by Halk
So what does that mean? It means that I'll do what I feel is right, rather than what others believe is right. In other words, as long as I'm happy that I'm keeping to my own standards I'm fine.
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As unpopular as I suspect my opinion will be, I will render it anyway.
It seems to me that you are operating under the same premise that most 'pirates' operate under. If item x is a) hard to find, b) too expensive, c) in a format I don't like, d) I can't afford it, etc. etc. etc., that is justifcation for me taking what I want.
The question should seriously ask yourself is this; why do I think I have a right to take something that I have not earned nor sought proper permission from the owner to take? And if you recognize that you don't have a right to take it to begin with, then you have already answered your own question; it's wrong.
Typically the answer is, insufficiently, because I want it.
We could probably argue over the meaning, usefulness and purpose of copyright law all day, but in the end the moral right or wrong comes from the earned or unearned, the permission or lack thereof.
My experience has been that virtually all 'pirates' are happy rationalizing why they should be able to take that which does not belong to them. For the most part I've given up trying to convince them that taking what they haven't earned and haven't sought permission to take is morally wrong, that it impacts their life negatively, and in the end not in their long term best interest. Rational people do not need to steal or take things that do not belong to them. Rational people understand the value that earning things offers their life. Rational people understand that the end does not justify the means and that morality is not determined by what is done, but by what should be done.
Man's peaceful existence among other men depends on the recognition of rights. Men survive by use of reason and by voluntary trade; animals survive by use of force, by taking what they need to survive without regard for the other animals. Taking something from someone without their permission and without duly compensating them is just another form of force, making that 'man' no better than an animal.