By making my non-DRM copy of the book, I avoid having to renew the license if I haven't finished it, and the book gets back into circulation so that others can enjoy it sooner than they might otherwise.
I guess it comes down to "no harm, no foul". What I do has no impact, none whatsoever, on anyone except myself and that is only for my convenience.
tanstaafl.
Yeah, so having the book back in circulation earlier means that you "create" another copy. Finite library resources place a limit on the affect they have on publishing company sales. Putting the electronic copy back into circulation changes this equation.
Even if it had no impact at all, one's own moral peace of mind is the most important factor anyhow. Ever read Pirsig's "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"? If not, I think you'd really like it. Pirsig sees mechanical maintenance, and by extension, all human endeavor as essentially moral problems:
"Peace of mind isn’t at all superficial, really," I expound. "It’s the whole thing. That which produces it is good maintenance; that which disturbs it is poor maintenance. What we call workability of the machine is just an objectification of this peace of mind. The ultimate test’s always your own serenity. If you don’t have this when you start and maintain it while you’re working you’re likely to build your personal problems right into the machine itself."
Previous Topic
Index
