Downloading
music illegally? Where’s the issue? Many people are quick to announce that they
obtain their music library via illegal downloads and that there’s nothing wrong
with it because it’s not stealing if the record company and the artist still
have the track or album.
But
take into consideration Kant’s categorical imperative. If each individual who sought out music from
the internet downloaded tracks without paying, how would artists and companies
be able to stay afloat? It may seem like
downloading a song just this once without paying has no real impact on
anything, but there are other factors that should be taken into consideration besides
the obvious “this is easy and free for me.”
According to Kant, practical reasoning is how to approach an issue,
rather than empirical means.
Another
great mind to think of while pondering the arguments illegally downloading
music can lead to is Aristotle. He
raised the idea of ethics as a subject.
His philosophies concerning moral
virtue and character are relevant still today.
They revolve around what people do voluntarily—such as downloading music
without paying (for a modern twist).
Yet
another viewpoint worth mentioning is Sissela Bok and her 3-step analysis for
situations. The first step says to
consult your conscience. Perhaps this is
a great time to ponder Kant and Aristotle and how they would view your choice
to download illegally—or commit a crime if harsher words sink in better. The second step instructs us to seek
alternatives. This could be something as
simple as just listening to the song or album on YouTube (for free!), or using
a program such as iTunes to legally acquire the music. The third step is to
hold an imaginary dialogue with the parties involved. Imagine having a conversation with the artist
whose music you have playing in your iPod, but never paid for, and explaining why
you have it, yet why they didn’t profit from it. This could also mean imagining getting a
letter from the Recording Industry stating that you have violated the law and
could face persecution.
Even
though it’s incredibly tempting to download music off the internet without
giving any fair monetary trade, there should be a decision making process
taking place that doesn’t always revolve around the listener/downloader, and
instead the other people involved in the equation.
