Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!nrl-cmf!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!decwrl!decvax!watmath!rwwetmore
From: rwwetmore@watmath.waterloo.edu (Ross Wetmore)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: lotus chairman makes 26 million
Keywords: copy protection piracy
Message-ID: <19014@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Date: 22 May 88 17:38:46 GMT
References: <9160@cisunx.UUCP> <1801@uhccux.UUCP> <807@netxcom.UUCP> <160@execu.EXECU> <203@proxftl.UUCP>
Reply-To: rwwetmore@watmath.waterloo.edu (Ross Wetmore)
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 36

In article <203@proxftl.UUCP> bill@proxftl.UUCP (T. William Wells) writes:
>In article <160@execu.EXECU>, dewey@execu.EXECU (dewey henize) writes:
>>
>> Do you really think you are going to convince each other on this?
>
>Unfortunately, today, received morality has degenerated to a kind
>of subjectivism (for the uninitiated, this means approximately
>that "if I feel it is good then it is") that makes the arguments
>that "software pirates" use seem plausible.
  A perceptive insight. Now ask yourself why there are only ten commandments
in the Bible, and not ten thousand regulations. If you get through this, ask
how, why and by who these came about.

>Arguments like this let others know that there ARE people out
>there who reject (at least some) of today's junk morality and
>that there are alternates to "doing it because I feel like it".
  Unfortunately few people reach the necessary level of understanding and
maturity to identify and extract the essence of a rational argument or
distill it into a moral slogan that captures the universality of the idea.
Belief as opposed to understanding is a powerful enforcement tool, but not
a good foundation on which to build. Emotional bases seldom are.

  It is too bad that humans are more easily led by emotions than rational
thought, and that power blocs in government, the media and elsewhere are
too ready to exploit this for short term goals. Is it any wonder that
software pirates will follow this example to justify their goals, or large
corporations will use similar tactics to stifle competitors or sell their
product. Remember the trade war with Japan over memory chips?

  Leadership has got to come from the top. Support has got to come from the
bottom.

Ross W. Wetmore                 | rwwetmore@water.NetNorth
University of Waterloo          | rwwetmore@math.Uwaterloo.ca
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1       | {clyde, ihnp4, ubc-vision, utcsri}
(519) 885-1211 ext 3491         |   !watmath!rwwetmore