this post was submitted on 18 Apr 2026
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For a serious answer, because ethics is concerned with self. You already know the answer to the second question and will very likely never be in that situation. You do not know the answer to the first and have a much higher likelihood of being in that situation.
I know the answer to the first
I’m sure your thought process involves a lot more than what is mentioned in the prompt. So you most likely do not know the answer to the first, even though you think you do.
Property is theft. Food shouldn't be witheld from those in need. Stealing bread is an artificial problem that shouldn't exist. Ezpz
But what if you're stealing from someone who needs it as much as you do? That's part of why the question is difficult. We're not always assuming you're stealing from someone who is hoarding.
This website is primarily populated by westerners, myself included. This ethical dilemma is commonly depicted within the confines of stealing bread from a business in some form or fashion. In the common depiction its pretty black and white to me. And even if we were to entertain the idea of stealing a loaf of bread from an individual with equal need, we only have to stop and think about it for a second to realize that capitalism and hoarding still created the conditions for this to happen, in which case this continues to be an artificial problem that shouldn't exist.
We only need to look to history to see how people actually deal with conditions that lead to food scarcity (disasters, economic collapse, war, etc). People tend to share what they have with their neighbors in times of scarcity, often times people go without to their own detriment to make sure their neighbor has what they need to survive. Oftentimes the resources they need are "looted" from businesses, but they get spread around the community nonetheless. The answer to your scenario is to ask your neighbor for some of their bread, or offer your own if you see somebody in need.
Like I said, you’re making a lot of assumptions about the first that aren’t stated. Here’s a few to get you started, though there’s many many many others.
Etc etc etc
both questions are concerned with self and society in general.
the first question puts survival up for debate, and the second question puts capitalism up for debate.
i'd say that most of us know the answers to both questions, but only ever asking the first question & never the second, helps people to form the idea that capitalism is just how things always have to be, and that it could/should never be changed.
I think you have a lot of beliefs about the first that are not stated. There are many many ways to frame the first in which you would not so easily answer yes. There are very few ways to frame the second in which it’s ethical.
yeah, that's the point of the post. it's clearly unethical, and yet, capitalism continues.
The second has nothing to do with capitalism. They are ethical questions that have nothing to do with political systems or governments. They’re meant to have you think about things in a deeper manner. There’s a lot less to think about with the second than the first and thus doesn’t really matter in an educational setting.