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.
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.
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 slope stops when the expected value is zero.
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.