A Test of Honesty

Let us say that a package arrives in the mail addressed to someone other than yourself. The package was intended for a stranger in another state, but due to a rare shipment error, it arrived at your doorstep. There was no tracking service selected, so the Post Office will never discover the error. Inside the package is a briefcase containing $250,000 in crisp new hundred dollar bills.

Would you alert the intended recipient, the Postal Service, and/or the IRS about your unexpected windfall, or would you keep it safe and secret?

Let me specify the following additional conditions. You are absolutely certain that you are not being set up by an investigator or any third party. There is no possibility that anyone will ever find out about your decision. However, you have to say out loud to the questioner--let us say it is an acquaintance that you hope to have good relations with in the future--your response to this hypothetical scenario.

There are at least four likely reactions:

1. Return the money.
2. Say you'd return the money, but only for the sake of appearing honest, knowing that you would keep the money if no one were the wiser.
3. Say you'd return the money while believing it to be so, although in the actual event, you would not.
4. Say you'd not return the money and would not.

The least honest response is #2, but I think it would be the most popular. No one likes to concede their dishonesty. Everyone is aware of how it makes them appear. But with $250,000 staring them in the face? A difficult situation to say the least.

Some people might have stipulations. For instance, they might not be willing to take money from a desperately poor person or an orphanage, but they might be willing to take money from a large and amoral corporation like BP or Wal-Mart, reasoning that deeper pockets would be less likely to miss $250,000.

For my part, I'd rather not say what my answer would be. I think I'd be tempted in such a scenario, and my answer would depend upon a great many additional conditions. I'd want to find out more about the intended recipient, for instance, and about the source of the windfall before making a decision.

This question occurred to me while reading The Last Days of Socrates, by Plato, a good read in parts, although the section on the immortality of the soul puts me to sleep. I like the style of Socrates, although I find his disciples too hesitant to offer a rebuttal. Socrates is one of the figures in history I would like to travel back in time to meet, especially if I could understand ancient Greek and communicate with him and him with me. He is another tragic and heroic Christ-like figure, although a cut above, I think. A good man, but a bit of a gadfly too.

by igor 04:20 4 replies by igor 09:32 0 comments