Is stealing ever ethical?

Question

exploratory essay

Answer 1

i think there is a difference between stealing a tv @ best buy because u want it and stealing bread from the grocery store to feed your kids because they are hungry. its never ethical, but it may be a way of life for the poor and hungry

Answer 2

Technically, no.
However, you could take this question up with Victor Hugo and Jean Valjean, his protagonist in "Les Miserables," who went to jail for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his starving family. Some would say that this theft was justified.

To me it boils down to this - if Jean Valjean, to use an example, had exhausted every resource trying to find work or money, and his family was on the brink of death, I would argue for the authorities excusing the theft. This still doesn't make it ethical, but excusable.

Answer 3

Is stealing ever ethical?

In my opinion, yes.

While on one hand, by stealing you are depriving another person of the object, on the other hand, does the other person need it more than you?

If, for example, you are stealing a TV from a department store because it is something you want, this is wrong. No doubt about it. You do not need the TV, therefore, why steal it? However, stealing a loaf of bread to feed a starving child is not wrong. It may be illegal but which is less ethical, stealing a loaf of bread or contributing to the death of a person.

Humans have 4 basic needs...

1.The need to breathe
2.The need to eat
3.The need for homeostasis (regulated body levels, e.g. temperature)
4.The need to dispose of bodily waste.

Without occupying these needs, humans die. The need to breathe and dispose of waste come without saying and are relatively easy to occupy. However, the need to eat and regulate body temperature require resources of some sort. That is, to eat, you need food and to regulate body temperature, you need a way of keeping warm, be that clothing or heating.

These resources require money. While clothes and blankets can be bought relatively cheaply at thrift stores and charity / second-hand shops and are sometimes handed out, food is rarely free, unless you live in the countryside with lots of fruits and nuts. Even then, not all of these are safe, so you are putting yourself at some risk of poisoning. This leaves you with a few choices:

1.Do not eat – This will eventually result in starvation and death.
2.Grow your own food – This is not always practical as people who cannot afford to eat can rarely afford to have their own land to grow food on.
3.Work for money to buy food – Once again, this is not always practical as people with no money for food rarely have money for accommodation, and a job application will usually require a permanent address, as will applying for state benefits.
4.Steal food – For some people, this is realistically the only option left. If you do not wish to starve, but can not afford food, then you are forced to steal. Admittedly there are places that hand out free food, but they will not provide enough food for you on a regular basis for survival.

People who steal food because they need to, do not take the decision lightly. They run the risk of being caught and prosecuted. But this, to them is the lesser punishment.

Of course, there are people that have the opportunity to work for money to buy food, or even that can afford to buy food, but still choose to steal. Why? Because it is the easy option. In these cases, it is not ethical or right to steal, because in these cases you are depriving other people of things that they may need but you do not.

Answer 4

Stealing, at times, may be acceptable when there are no morality issues involved. For example, when a secret agent steals the national secrets of an enemy nation, his exploits would be considered heroic and daring by his country.