I read this entire thread and I feel everyone is looking at this in the wrong way. For one thing, I don't think we should call software pirating stealing. When you steal something you actually take something from some one, but by using IP that you didn't pay for, well that person still has their IP and can profit from it can't they? How come it goes from being copyright and licensing infringement to stealing, what happened there? That's a little off topic but it bugs me a whole lot.
Now I agree that illegally downloading software is breaking the law, but as the saying goes: "law are made to be broken." Now this doesn't mean I advoate breaking the law, NO, but we do need to understand why laws are created, how they function, and MOST of all have a good grasp on the workings of today's society, and life itself. The creation of laws have different reasons in different societies, but at a basic level of honest law and honest government would would only be created to better the society. Although one could argue that we would be better off without government. Of course the usual reponse to that is, "Well that wouldn't be a good thing becuase my lifestyle would change." Of course that makes the assumption that YOUR selfless act of lifestyle sacrifce is the completely wrong thing to do. Again, no one is free of greed and selfishness.
Morals were designed to control people. Yes they were, do a little research and you will discover this. Not to say that they are always used for control, NO, a few wise and intelligent people will understand that society as a whole really do not want to backtrack to better things. Why? Becuase the material world has a big strong hold on people, and the people at the top of the hierarchy deffinately don't want things to change. No I don't advocate going back to the stoneage, if people want to continue living the way we do then they will, nothing I can do. If a group of people decide to stand up and change thing, and they successfully do, then things change. The world is ruled by the majority and/or the strongest. So basically what I am trying to say is that you can argue right and wrong all you want, but right and wrong are both subjective, but let the majority win, becuase you know they will.
My word of advice to you people who go against the majority/strong, and I joke around about this, but it's true, don't get caught. No one said you can't blame them if you get caught, but the point behind this is to get people to believe you, and therefore switch the majority/strong to your side.
P.S. Oh, and on a side note, all you idiots who think it's wrong to have to pay $# bucks to but a MMO, and then $# amount a month to play forget that the $# bucks to buy the game is just that, buy the game. The developers had to spend time developing that and deserve the right to charge for it. You seem to convienently forget that one price tag is for a product, the other is for a service. This is employed in many facets, like cable and satillite tv, or your internet you are using yet you say nothing of these instances. Is it because games have always been "buy and play" and not services? I believe so. So it is understandable what you say, but please, think before you act next time.
Now I agree that illegally downloading software is breaking the law, but as the saying goes: "law are made to be broken." Now this doesn't mean I advoate breaking the law, NO, but we do need to understand why laws are created, how they function, and MOST of all have a good grasp on the workings of today's society, and life itself. The creation of laws have different reasons in different societies, but at a basic level of honest law and honest government would would only be created to better the society. Although one could argue that we would be better off without government. Of course the usual reponse to that is, "Well that wouldn't be a good thing becuase my lifestyle would change." Of course that makes the assumption that YOUR selfless act of lifestyle sacrifce is the completely wrong thing to do. Again, no one is free of greed and selfishness.
Morals were designed to control people. Yes they were, do a little research and you will discover this. Not to say that they are always used for control, NO, a few wise and intelligent people will understand that society as a whole really do not want to backtrack to better things. Why? Becuase the material world has a big strong hold on people, and the people at the top of the hierarchy deffinately don't want things to change. No I don't advocate going back to the stoneage, if people want to continue living the way we do then they will, nothing I can do. If a group of people decide to stand up and change thing, and they successfully do, then things change. The world is ruled by the majority and/or the strongest. So basically what I am trying to say is that you can argue right and wrong all you want, but right and wrong are both subjective, but let the majority win, becuase you know they will.
My word of advice to you people who go against the majority/strong, and I joke around about this, but it's true, don't get caught. No one said you can't blame them if you get caught, but the point behind this is to get people to believe you, and therefore switch the majority/strong to your side.
P.S. Oh, and on a side note, all you idiots who think it's wrong to have to pay $# bucks to but a MMO, and then $# amount a month to play forget that the $# bucks to buy the game is just that, buy the game. The developers had to spend time developing that and deserve the right to charge for it. You seem to convienently forget that one price tag is for a product, the other is for a service. This is employed in many facets, like cable and satillite tv, or your internet you are using yet you say nothing of these instances. Is it because games have always been "buy and play" and not services? I believe so. So it is understandable what you say, but please, think before you act next time.