I do believe that writers benefit from getting paid and have more incentive to keep writing if they do. That said, I also know enough about the industry to know how little they're paid to begin with, and also that pirating a book is not necessarily a lost sale (since unlike a physical book, nothing has been lost, and not all folks who pirate would ever have purchased).

I do try to support writers I like when I can, but I also don't feel bad if I can only find a pirated copy. And I've got no qualms when it comes to dead authors.