Isn't this perception of refinement mostly the result of the different models attempting to explain the same phenomena though (phenomena that are of course happening regardless of the theory we use to explain them)? As such, later theories would typically "contain" earlier ones as special cases or approximations. I think this is a weird use of the word refinement though, as if a plane would be a refinement of a line. I don't know, but I can't help but feel that calling e.g. relativity and quantum mechanics refinements seriously undervalues how important these theories have been, not just as mathematical curiosities but also in how we view the world, and how impressive feats of mind and science they are.

... debating this issue. Clearly, if only it was handled by a bunch of reasoned individuals like us, that would not happen.

Just some thoughts then, to try to answer that question.

Even though the information itself might have not been anything they had any real need to hide, your act of snooping is invasive in itself. They trusted you to behave responsibly and you failed, it's as simple as that.

You personally seem to think that such an invasion of privacy is something bad. This means that you would (by your own standards) hurt someone just to prove a point. I'd say this is not a quality i generally admire in people (And I might very well tell that to someone doing so)

Remember that it is never the victims fault, it is the perpetrator who performs the act. Their failure to defend against privacy intrusions does not justify your behavior anymore than my failure to take self-defense classes justifies someone assaulting me. Just because he follows up the beating by handing me a leaflet to the local gym doesn't really make it ok.