Reverse Engineering, Religious Music, Police, and More
Webcast Q&A: 31 July 2011
I answered questions on the morality of reverse engineering, atheists singing religious music, this-worldly success of faith-driven people, police lying to suspects, and more on 31 July 2011. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers was my co-host. Listen to or download this episode of Philosophy in Action Radio below.
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Segments: 31 July 2011
Question 1: The Morality of Reverse Engineering
Question: Is it immoral to reverse-engineer a product? Is it wrong to take apart a product, improve it, and then sell this new product to others (or use it for yourself)? Is this considered theft or just productive work?
Answer, In Brief: The morality of reverse engineering largely depends on whether the product is protected by copyright and/or patents. In other words, are you violating someone's intellectual property or not?
Tags: Business, Ethics, Intellectual Property, Law, Politics, Property, Rights, Technology
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Question 2: Atheists Singing Religious Music
Question: Is it moral for atheists to perform religious music? I love to sing classical music, and that usually means performing with a group that does religious music, including Catholic mass and other religious songs. Some of these groups are secular and perform it for the artistic value alone, but other groups are explicitly religious, such as those affiliated with a church. Is it wrong for an atheist like me to join either of these types of groups?
Answer, In Brief: Given our present and past cultural context, to sing religious music is not an implicit endorsement of religion – unless purpose of performance to inspire religious belief.
Tags: Art, Atheism, Christianity, Music, Religion, Sanction
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Question 3: This-Worldly Success of Faith-Driven People
Question: Why do some people of faith survive and even flourish? If reason is required for life, and faith abdicates reason, then how can anyone who has faith live and prosper? In particular, how do some devoutly religious people manage to be so productive and creative in business?
Answer, In Brief: Christians today are not ideologically consistent: they're not fully driven by faith. Instead, they are compartmentalized – and that explains the success of some of them.
Tags: Business, Compartmentalization, Epistemology, Ethics, Faith, Rationality, Religion, Wealth
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Question 4: Police Lying to Suspects
Question: Should the police lie to suspects in the course of an investigation? Police routinely do this, usually in order to trick people into admitting something or revealing information they would normally not reveal. Note that the people they lie to may not have been convicted of any crime, and are merely "persons of interest" or suspects. Is this routine constant lying moral? What do you think it does to the policeman's character after many years?
Answer, In Brief: To suppose that the police must never misrepresent the facts in a criminal investigation is wrong – and rationalistic. However, precisely because the overriding goal must be the discovery of the truth about the crime, there are and ought to be limits about what the police can lie about.
Tags: Crime, Ethics, Honesty, Justice, Law, Psychology
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Rapid Fire Questions (54:09)
- Should police be allowed to conduct sting operations to catch people committing illegal acts?
- What should happen to cops that cross the line and violate people's rights?
- Should a country permit reverse-engineering of the intellectual property of the enemy in wartime?
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Conclusion (58:23)
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About Philosophy in Action
I'm Dr. Diana Brickell. I'm a philosopher specializing in the application of rational principles to the challenges of real life. I received my Ph.D in philosophy from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2009. My book, Responsibility & Luck: A Defense of Praise and Blame, is available for purchase in paperback and Kindle. The book defends the justice of moral praise and blame of persons using an Aristotelian theory of moral responsibility, thereby refuting Thomas Nagel's "problem of moral luck."
My radio show, Philosophy in Action Radio, broadcasts live over the internet on most Sunday mornings and some Thursday evenings. On Sunday mornings, I answer questions applying rational principles to the challenges of real life in a live hour-long show. Greg Perkins of Objectivist Answers co-hosts the show. On Thursday evenings, I interview an expert guest or discuss a topic of interest.
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