What would your ethics tell you to do?

Question

Rules: do not consider legality or illegality as a guideline, or the Bible or any other religious texts as sources.

Okay ...here's an example of what I was thinking.

So, I really wanted to download a free, illegal copy of a Paul McCartney song. However, if I had paid for the download, then Michael Jackson (who owns a lot of Beatles songs) might have made the money and used it to evade the law. If Paul McCartney owned the song, the money might have gone to help him fight his divorce and alleged wife abuse.

I know both parties are innocent in the eyes of the law and that downloading is illegal,

FOLKS: Attention I asked what YOU would do not what I should do.

Answer 1

Michael Jackson bought the rights to their music fair and square! You can't justify stealing for any reason!!

♥♥We Love You Michael!!!!♥♥

Answer 2

Honestly, I would not care.

First the reality is that, the couple of cents Jackson or McCartney make on the download will not come close to making a difference in any litigation they may face.

Second even from a moral point of view of not wanting to support them on principal, you are not buying the song to support morally (like people buy flags to support our troops morally) you are buying the song to support your love of the Beatles music. Do you think that when you buy a stick of gum or a bar of soap that some of that money does not go to people who are crooked? What are you suppose to do, a background check on every person who benefits from you buying something.

So get the Song.

Answer 3

If you knew how insubstantial the amount of money either Michael Jackson or Paul McCartney would receive were you to pay for the download you would never have wasted anyone's time with your question.

Answer 4

I would buy, I am now going to take some pain reliever, your question gave me a headache (I really thought hard about it, too) I agree with kidney boy when he says we dont know who all our purchases are benefitting anyway. Besides, what about those inbetween people like publishers, record companies, ect who make money off of purchases? They deserve the money too.

Plus, I just feel better if I buy things

Answer 5

Pay for the download and don't worry about what happens to the money. Look at how your money is spent paying taxes and donating to various causes. Whatever you do in life, someone will try to take advantage of it.

Answer 6

Stealing is Stealing and there really is no way of getting around it. Know matter how your try to rationalize it

Edit to add: No I would not. I would pay for the song as I have paid for all my songs that I have on my ipod.

Answer 7

Are you looking for justification or ethically right? Your requirement that we use no social or legal dogma in our decision limits your argument to this simple statement. Do you believe that you should pay for things that don't belong to you or don't you. Ethics are a social and personal view. Without a social view, all you have is your point of view.

Answer 8

I suggest you start teaching a class in how to rationalize stealing. You'll do great. O and I assume it works both ways, i.e. when someone steals from you you'll accept some lame reason as OK?

Answer 9

So what the hell is your question? It is illegal but people do it anyway and it does hurt the artist because they worked to produce it and your are taking it without give them proper consideration.

Answer 10

Seems like your beef is more with Jacko the Wacko than with downloading the song illegaly...