The Ethics of Illegal Music Downloading
Jul 13, 2009 under Personal, Internet, The World. 14 comments. // First time visiting?
The issue of downloading music freely has always been an odd one to me, because it's one of those few topics that, when debated, never reaches a clear conclusion. When two groups come into conflict regarding most other matters, often one group secretly knows that it's wrong but just doesn't want to admit it (I'm convinced that this happens in politics all too frequently, but we can get into my political leanings another time).
For some strange reason, it is this one seemingly-trivial topic of "illegal music downloading" that's been the source of much anxiety for the past several months, because I know that I, the possessor of 2,392 songs, could be guilty of this crime. Strangely enough, however, the possibility that I could get caught has never alarmed me—rather, it's the fact that I've had a "tender conscience" since I was a little girl that has caused my worry.
Generally, when I do something wrong, my conscience tells me it's immoral so strongly that I do whatever I can to correct the situation. With this topic, however, my conscience has been hinting that I'm "wrong" even though another part of me has been suggesting that my actions are perfectly acceptable. In fact, the real issue is that I can't tell if my actions are wrong or if they're wrong to me because I've been told that they should be (and as we all know, when you've been told a lie for long enough, you eventually consider it to be true).
And then...that question then raises yet another question: if downloading music illegally is truly wrong, then why do other people—who I know have "tender consciences" as well—have no problem with illegal downloading themselves?
To me, the morality of the issue is a complex problem that requires a complex answer, and luckily, I've been just obsessed enough to hunt for that answer.