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When you come from a place of privilege, it's easy to think human behavior is binary.

For example, I would never steal a car! I can afford one, and to be quite honest, I don't need one.

If I was deep into poverty, and needed a car for a job or to be able to provide some function to my family, that temptation might be there. It might be so great that it distorts the ethics of the person so much so they don't see it as unethical.

Instead of stealing a car, they're borrowing it or the other person can just get another one. They would legitimately not see wrong because they feel like they have been wronged when they do not have the ability to get a car.

TL;DR: Ethics are not binary. To even suggest that undermines the entirety of the philosophy dedicated to studying it.




What you described is rationalization. That doesn't make the act of stealing a car any more moral. It's still incredibly immoral.


Not if you don't believe in the concept of property; then stealing has no meaning.


Except you're still acting immorally by forcing your belief system onto others who don't share that belief system. It doesn't matter if you don't believe in property; the person who owned that car does.


Inversely, the other person in your example is forcing their concept of property on others.




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