I used to teach 8th grade science. I believe my students would have done very well on the sample questions used to indicate that college students lack literacy. I am sure that there are huge variations in the quality of education in different schools. I have only taught it two schools; one was public, and one was private. My students were generally enthusiastic, literate, and capable of complex analysis. We used to occasionally discuss the latest "Junkyard Wars" television episode, and students would express cogent and articulate opinions about the designs and implementations on the show. They were interested and clearly thinking about science and engineering outside the class room.
I heard lots of complaints about writing assignments. Students didn't like having to submit a plan including a drawing before I would give them materials for a project. Nevertheless, they did the work even if they only did the minimum acceptable. That is not so unusual in professions, so I hardly fault the 8th graders.
Here is a really controversial observation: I almost always found the task of getting the female students involved in discussions and projects daunting, but almost invariably the best work was provided by the girls.
According to the Categorical Imperative of moral philosophy, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_imperativ e, there is a MORAL harm regardless of any legal harm. "Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it would become a universal law." In other words, pirate software only if you wish that everyone pirates software...or, if it wouldn't be good for everyone to do then it isn't good for you to do it...
Immanuel Kant would tell you that if everyone pirates software, there will be little new software produced and that is not desirable. Because it is not desirable for everyone to pirate, it is not moral for you to pirate.
At least according to one well known moral philosopher, there is a basis in common ethics and Christian teachings in this case.
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I used to teach 8th grade science. I believe my students would have done very well on the sample questions used to indicate that college students lack literacy. I am sure that there are huge variations in the quality of education in different schools. I have only taught it two schools; one was public, and one was private. My students were generally enthusiastic, literate, and capable of complex analysis. We used to occasionally discuss the latest "Junkyard Wars" television episode, and students would express cogent and articulate opinions about the designs and implementations on the show. They were interested and clearly thinking about science and engineering outside the class room.
I heard lots of complaints about writing assignments. Students didn't like having to submit a plan including a drawing before I would give them materials for a project. Nevertheless, they did the work even if they only did the minimum acceptable. That is not so unusual in professions, so I hardly fault the 8th graders.
Here is a really controversial observation: I almost always found the task of getting the female students involved in discussions and projects daunting, but almost invariably the best work was provided by the girls.
According to the Categorical Imperative of moral philosophy, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_imperativ e, there is a MORAL harm regardless of any legal harm. "Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it would become a universal law." In other words, pirate software only if you wish that everyone pirates software...or, if it wouldn't be good for everyone to do then it isn't good for you to do it...
Immanuel Kant would tell you that if everyone pirates software, there will be little new software produced and that is not desirable. Because it is not desirable for everyone to pirate, it is not moral for you to pirate.
At least according to one well known moral philosopher, there is a basis in common ethics and Christian teachings in this case.
Here are the links again right from my browser history: http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/07/28 /crime_stats040728.html
http://www.statcan.ca/english/Subjects/Labour/LFS/ lfs-en.htm
http://www.economagic.com/em-cgi/data.exe/feddal/r u
http://www.worldfactsandfigures.com/gdp_country_de sc.php
http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/1999/06/think_01.h tml
Let me say that I enjoy the Canadian way of life myself, but let's look at some numbers:
e sc.php [worldfactsandfigures.com]
h tml [readersdigest.ca]
/ lfs-en.htm [statcan.ca]
8 a.htm [statcan.ca] & http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm [disastercenter.com]
Source: http://www.worldfactsandfigures.com/gdp_country_d
GDP per capita Canada: $29,700
GDP per capita USA: $37,800
Source: http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/1999/06/think_01.
National average total taxation Canada: 48.2 %
National average total taxation USA: 41.4 %
Source: http://www.statcan.ca/english/Subjects/Labour/LFS
National unemployment rate Canada: 6.6%
National unemployment rate USA: 4.9%
Source: http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/040728/d04072
Total Violent crime per 100,000 people Canada: 963
Total violent crime per 100,000 people in USA: 466
By all of these measures you are better off in the USA.
[This may be a duplicate of a previous Anonymous Coward posting that I did not intend.]