You still have not explained what is mistaken about the example.
<<Think of it this way: you steal something, you are caught, you experience a little embarrassment and give back the 5 dollars. What is there to motivate anyone to reform their ways, if they have been malicious or negligent? Nothing. First, there is no real risk, since even if you are caught, it comes to little; second, society has just said to you that it doesn't take stealing very seriously.>>
What is the motivation to "reform?" Whoever caught you knows you to be a thief. He may have told others. People don't want to associate with thieves. You lose friends, job opportunities, you could go to jail, all sorts of bad things worth more than five dollars. Plus you are fostering by your participation a world in which thieves run rampant and one of them might steal from you, maybe more than five dollars. A rational person recognizes that thievery is a sub-optimal approach to life. This may take a few lessons or some explanation, but then that's what mothers' knees are for. |
