Hacker News has tacitly given permission for the use of this website. In exchange, they get permission for rebroadcast, possibly copyright ownership, etc. The

Hacker News has tacitly given permission for the use of this website. In exchange, they get permission for rebroadcast, possibly copyright ownership, etc. The point is that we're not "taking" from them, they're allowing us to do so. Having permission is the difference between theft and use of a good. Even if the resultant outcome is definitively good, it doesn't matter -- you cannot take without permission or it is a crime. If a house is on fire, and that house is situated next to a fire extinguisher plant, the obvious good is to pilfer the extinguishers to douse the fire. That said, it is still theft, despite the beneficial outcome. If the extinguisher plant's owner wishes, he may press charges, demand recompense, or forgive the crime altogether, but whether or not he forgives the crime, it was indeed still a crime. Also, it's worth noting, the school is not a commercial entity. Had he stolen his power from Starbucks, which routinely gives power away as a part of doing business, the school has no incentive to do so, nor compelling reason to practice less than 'dumb economics' because giving away power for them is, in fact, dumb economics.