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Comment by ifyoubuildit | Hacker News Reader

OK, thanks for spelling them out.

I don't see how either of those principles suggest I should go steal the steaks, because I could easily end up being the person who is stolen from.

Its not surprising when starving people steal, and you can't really blame them for it. And people shouldn't waste frivolously when there are people in their community that are lacking.

But adding these unwritten caveats to private property rights based on whether someone is satisfied with their lot or not... I can't wrap my head around it.

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What's the expected value of:

90% chance of being a hungry person who steals a steak instead of dying

10% chance of being someone with 100 steaks and having 9 stolen?

I think the EV of this ends up positive.

I didn't take being barely able to afford ramen as someone who is going to starve to death. Their health is probably pretty poor, but I was assuming like in real life there would be other options.

Like I said before, if the alternative is death, then obviously stealing is justified. But if the alternative is the soup kitchen or something, then I can't justify stealing the steak. Otherwise you're on a slippery slope.

The guy with a hundred steaks still won't notice them gone. Probably.

The slope stops when the expected value is zero.

Is it only ok for luxury items? What happens when you swap steaks out of that sentence?

You have a hundred (dollars|pens|shoes|boxes of cereal), you probably won't notice if I take one.

I don't feel right taking one if I have other options. Whether or not someone notices doesn't make theft OK, it just means you get away without consequences (depending on your religious beliefs).

Not to mention you probably have to trespass/break and enter to do it.

Here's how it adds up: you are either the elite person who will have a few steaks taken (your life still rocks), or as the poor person, you can at least have enough steak to survive, rather than dying of hunger watching your rich neighbor throw steaks away for no reason.

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