Re: Morality and Pirated Software

Hello.....

I have to respond to parts of this, because it addresses a topic that is
very dear to my heart. The reason that this particular topic is so
meaningful to me is because I do have several chronic health problems, for
which I see multiple specialists and take several different medications.

>
> Let's change the product to medicine. If you went to a pharmacy for a
> prescription, and were told that the only place you could get that
medicine
> was from that specific pharmacy, you might  accept it. If you were then
> told that you were not allowed to look anywhere else for it to see if it
> was cheaper, would you still accept it?

Yes, without a doubt. I would be assured that the medication was being
provided in its proper form, in its prescribed dosage, and as a whole be of
the required quality.

If you were then told, that under
> no circumstances could you give that medicine to anyone else, would it
> still be acceptable?

Most definitely. I don't have a medical license. I have no way of knowing if
this particular medication would be beneficial, or even safe, if given to
another person. What if this other person has some health condition that
would make taking of this particular medication not only unwise but actually
dangerous? I could end up being responsible for that person's death. Not
something I care to risk.

 What if you found out that the medicine was easy to
> make, that you could produce it on your kitchen table exactly as your
> pharmacist gave it to you.

My brother spent five years going to pharmacy school learning how to make
those medications. I did not. How do I know that my kitchen tinkering would
produce the same result? Have I invested all the money spent by the drug
manufacturers on quality control? Nope. I also haven't spent 10-12 years
going to medical school so that I can know how to effectively prescribe
medications for each individual. What works for my high blood pressure may
or may not work for your high blood pressure. In fact, it may kill you.

Say it's some drug that could make life much
> easier for many. Maybe open doors that they couldn't walk through
> previously; allow them to have a job that they wouldn't be able to have
> without the drug. You could help others by giving out the medicine, but it
> is illegal. The pharmacy owns the process for creating this drug and they
> charge high for it. So high that most people can not afford it. Is it
still
> immoral to offer the drug to others?

Yes. Without a doubt. It may sound cold, but there are agencies which
provide assistance of this sort. Agencies which are backed by lawyers. What
happens if I give a drug to someone who later dies? Do I have the money to
pay when I'm sued for mega-bucks because of this? I don't think so.

So, here again is an analogy that does not apply.

Just one person's opinion,
Dusty

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