aurum

Pretty sure they got in trouble a few years back, although I can't recall all the details. I think they weren't properly testing their product.

Don't expect women you are dating to match your personal development ambition.

@Ryan M If you make that much money, you should be able to set up a social circle situation. Network in Vegas and use your money to attend events where you can meet women. You could also host events. Get creative.

I did not mean you personally. I meant higher than your average conservative.

Yes, because they often have higher moral development. That's not a coincidence. Also, consider that "conservative" style of humor is not always as free as you are suggesting. Try making a joke about Xi Jinping in China. The idea here that self-regulation is always in opposition to self-expression needs to be challenged. They do work as opposites, but they can also go together. Voluntary self-regulation exists.

There is no such thing as "behaving well" outside of consequences. You can't separate the two.

Interesting, not what I would have expected of him. Great find.

I've already explained my position. And I'm not going to engage in condescension.

Words and definitions are constructions. I will use them how I see fit. The point of the word 'functionally' was to avoid getting stuck in some narrow, dictionary definition of theft. What matters from a sense-making perspective is the principle and the psychology. Focusing on whether it fits some strict legal definition misses the point. And it's bad epistemology.

“Eat real foods” they say, while holding up pictures of bananas. This whole processed vs real debate is missing the point.

Justification. Yes, you torrent because you are desperate like a Venezuelan. That's my point. You can morally justify it if you want. Theft can be morally justified. It's still theft. And the vast majority of people who torrent are not even Venezuelans, they are mostly first-world people.

Consider that if you were financially well-off, you would not torrent. What does that say about your motivations?

Of course you are. The creator is not being rewarded when they should be. And you still use their creation for your benefit. I chose to call that "theft". Split hairs about it if you want. It's the same impulse to take while not giving anything in return. You fundamentally want free value, which is why you torrent.

Your definition of "theft" is not objective or the only one that can be used. I include copywrite infringement when I say "theft".

You can justify it however you want, but it's functionally theft. I stopped torrenting years ago. It's desperate, leech behavior.