I'm not even saying it's completely necessary. Just that I don't feel bad about things I download. Does that make it right? Maybe not. I guess I just think it's less damaging than people make it out to be. Take creative fields for instance. There is x amount of talent out there, y amount of jobs, n amount of money. There are open source "alternatives" that in the end are often poor substitutes for high end packages that actually make it possible for pipelines consisting of one or two people with any degree of productivity. I can choose to feed my family and go with open source solutions which will never get me where I want to go or look satisfactory on a resume, or I can buy that 2000 dollar 3d package, the 500 dollar audio software, the 800 dollar video software, etc etc - and not be able to buy much else. That's the reality of living nowadays. Competition is ridiculous, you need to know the software that is "industry standard". I wonder how many of those people got their jobs by using legit copies of Photoshop or 3dsmax to hone their craft? But in the end they got em and probably went out and bought the programs. They're still helping to sustain the industry in the end, you don't see many software or game developers in the poorhouse unless they put out crap to begin with.
I certainly don't want to rely on downloaded software. I regularily approach companies asking for endorsement deals and sometimes, I get em. I use open source where it fits. I pay for what is reasonable to pay for within my means. And the rest, I download. I love to learn new software and find better features that help me work faster. Reading about them on a website doesn't get me anywhere. They might not always be as advertised or quite what I was looking for. Slightly getting off topic, but anyway. On one hand, it's not "necessary". But on another I'd argue that it is, that it is the way things are, and that there are more important things to get on a moral high horse about.