11-12-2013, 11:28 AM
Interesting ethical delimma..
Your first instinct is like the Rabbi's - return it the owner.
But who is the owner? The person who previously had the desk was obviously unaware it was there. Perhaps they never even knew. Perhaps they received the desk from someone else? Regardless they seemed to have not been concerned. So returning it to them is not necessarily returning the money to it's rightful owner as that person may have no more claim than the Rabbi.
Keep it? you bought it, no matter how unintentional. Technically you are the rightful owner now. But that really doesn't seem right.
Give it to charity? Here it would do the most good, but is it yours to give? that takes the question full circle.
It could be a fun question in an ethics class.
Your first instinct is like the Rabbi's - return it the owner.
But who is the owner? The person who previously had the desk was obviously unaware it was there. Perhaps they never even knew. Perhaps they received the desk from someone else? Regardless they seemed to have not been concerned. So returning it to them is not necessarily returning the money to it's rightful owner as that person may have no more claim than the Rabbi.
Keep it? you bought it, no matter how unintentional. Technically you are the rightful owner now. But that really doesn't seem right.
Give it to charity? Here it would do the most good, but is it yours to give? that takes the question full circle.
It could be a fun question in an ethics class.