It's a bit disconcerting how a community, priding itself on consequentialist reasoning and rationality, so quickly reverts to using flimsy reasoning to justify the same decision they would have made before adopting such a worldview.

I'm not disagreeing with this decision, of course -- I've corrected bartenders several times when they undercharge me by leaving off a drink, and I've returned to a store to pay for a $50 item they didn't charge me for. (And I've been the recipient of the kindness of a co-worker who found a $100 bill I had dropped but had given up on finding.)

My point is that a lot of discussion here of ethics-as-practiced gives off this vibe of, "Don't worry, we can be moral like non-rationalists, really -- we even leave holes in our otherwise uncompromising reasoning to avoid becoming jerks! ('dicks')"

A few questions for those who have an answer to this dilemma:

• Do your ethics focus solely on what consequences your actions cause (in the technical sense)?
• If they do, what is the good consequence of your actions, and what terminal value does it satisfy? Do you pursue that value consistently? (i.e., don't tell me you have "other people getting more money" as a terminal value when you otherwise never pursue that)
• If they don't, what other factors do you consider, and how does your action satisfy them here?

The proffered justifications here seem to attempt to sidestep these unavoiable questions, and don't attempt to apply the insights discussed and sequence'd here regarding decision theory and ethics.

My answer (rot13): Cre zl rzcunfvf ba npnhfny naq fhowhapgvir zrnaf raqf yvaxf (gung Qerfpure gnyxf nobhg va Tbbq naq Erny, be V qb va zl negvpyr "Zbenyvgl nf Cnesvgvna-Svygrerq Qrpvfvba Gurbel"), V ernfba nf sbyybjf: vs V qvq abg ertneq vg nf bcgvzny gb znxr fbzr rssbeg gb trg gur zbarl onpx gb vgf bjare, arvgure jbhyq bguref ertneq vg nf bcgvzny gb qb gur fnzr sbe zr, jrer gur ebyrf erirefrq. Npgvat onfrq ba gur onfvf bs guvf qlnanzvp zrnaf gung V jvyy svaq zlfrys va n jbeyq jvgu zber fhpu trareny xvaqarff, rira gubhtu fhpu npgvbaf jvyy abg pnhfr orggre pbafrdhraprf sbe zr. Guvf ernfbavat vf cnenyyry gb gur whfgvsvpngvba sbe jul bar fubhyq bar-obk va Arjpbzo'f ceboyrz be cnl va Cnesvg'f Uvgpuuvxre -- V pnaabg cbvag gb n orarsvg gb zlfrys gung V pnhfr, ohg V jbhyq cersre gung V npgrq cre na nytbevguz gung unq gubfr nf na bhgchg.