Re: GNAT GPL 2005 Edition is now available

["Hyman Rosen" <hyman.rosen@gmail.com>]

David Trudgett wrote:
> It is *never* morally right, for instance, to use violence to force or
> coerce the actions of others, no matter whether one's "rights" are being
> ignored or infringed.

Morality is a social construct. What is morally right is decided by the
society in which one lives, or by subgroups therein. (The tiger which
is
about to use violence to coerce your actions and then eat you, for
example,
is not acting immorally; she is values-neutral.) So your statement may
be
correct according to your moral code, but no one else need feel
themself
bound by it.

As it happens, society in America has decided that it is moral for a
creator
to retain some coercive power over the use of his creation. It is
written in
one of our founding documents which shapes our society. That may
change, and
perhaps has already changed, but for you to make your bald assertion as
if it
had the force of natural law is absurd. I could equally say that it is
moral
for the strong to take what they wish from the weak, as this is what is
the
observed state of the natural world and we should not attempt to run
counter
to it.