What is Theft?

[olcott <olcott@qwest.net>]

There are two differeing lines-of-reasoning in answering
this question, the Legal definition, and the Moral one:

Legal: A person is guilty of theft if he or she takes, or
exercises control over, movable property of another
with the intent to deprive him or her thereof.
Deprive is defined to mean To withhold property of
another permanently or for so extended a period
as to appropriate a major portion of its economic
value... (The point is that value must exist, or theft
does not occur)

Morally What is Theft...
Moral dogmatists can never get beyond the
very first step. Wrong can ONLY occur
when Harm exists, without a specifically
Harmful Effect, no wrong can possibly occur.

The Moral Dogmatist way it like this.
Violation of Rule, (or law) therefore Wrong
(with or without any harmful effect, the
ONLY necessary condition for wrong is
the violation of the rule, or law)...

No sense in elaborating  beyond this point
because all of the subsequent reasoning
depends upon this point.

Matthew Russotto wrote:

> In article <981841426.3a85b6120e283@webmail.cotse.com>,
> Quantum_Cat  <quantum-no-spam@cotse.com> wrote:
> >
> >You may easily find that while value is mentioned, it isn't used to qualify that
> >the infringment of a copyright work isn't theft.
>
> That's right Meow Mix; the Copyright Act never says that the
> infringment on a copyright isn't theft.  Nor does it ever say it IS theft.
> --
> Matthew T. Russotto                                russotto@pond.com
> "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in pursuit
> of justice is no virtue."