[Buddha-l] NYT article apropos our recent discussion of redwoods, meat and values.

[Blumenthal, James]

On another matter of practical reason, do any of you have any unfounded emotion-based convictions to share on the matter of whether it is acceptable to download books from a website registered on the Polynesian Island state of Niue? The site http://library.nu/ has some 65000 electronic reproductions of books, including quite a number of academic titles that are too expensive for anyone living on an academic salary to buy. The claim is that the site is legal (because apparently almost everything is legal in Niue). But is it moral? For that matter, is commercial publishing moral? Is placing any restrictions on the dissemination of intellectual property moral? Should all writing be available for free on the Internet?

Just wondering.

Name withheld by request



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Just out of curiosity I went to the Niue site and put "Madhyamaka" in the search.  I was shocked to find my first book came up as the first free download.  What's up with that?  They have probably cost me $5.71 in royalties!

Jim Blumenthal


James Blumenthal
Philosophy Department
Oregon State University
102-A Hovland Hall
Corvallis, OR 97331-3902