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Hitler's Wallet Dilemma

The Sum of Awe

The Sum of Awe

Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Staff member
Premium Member
"You are in Berlin, 1933. Somehow, you find yourself in a position where you can effortlessly steal Hitler's wallet. This theft will not affect Hitler's rise to power, the nature of WW2, or the Holocaust. There is no important identification in the wallet, but the act will cost Hitler forty Reichsmarks and completely ruin his evening. You do not need the money. The odds that you will be caught committing this act are less than 2 percent. Are you, in your opinion, ethically obligated to steal Hitler's wallet?"
 
4consideration

4consideration

*
Premium Member
The Sum of Awe said:
"You are in Berlin, 1933. Somehow, you find yourself in a position where you can effortlessly steal Hitler's wallet. This theft will not affect Hitler's rise to power, the nature of WW2, or the Holocaust. There is no important identification in the wallet, but the act will cost Hitler forty Reichsmarks and completely ruin his evening. You do not need the money. The odds that you will be caught committing this act are less than 2 percent. Are you, in your opinion, ethically obligated to steal Hitler's wallet?"
Click to expand...

No.

Stealing in this situation would still be a violation of my integrity -- even though I believe Hitler to have been a total scumbag. His being a bad guy does not require, or justify, the stealing.
 
Koldo

Koldo

Outstanding Member
The Sum of Awe said:
"You are in Berlin, 1933. Somehow, you find yourself in a position where you can effortlessly steal Hitler's wallet. This theft will not affect Hitler's rise to power, the nature of WW2, or the Holocaust. There is no important identification in the wallet, but the act will cost Hitler forty Reichsmarks and completely ruin his evening. You do not need the money. The odds that you will be caught committing this act are less than 2 percent. Are you, in your opinion, ethically obligated to steal Hitler's wallet?"
Click to expand...

Why steal his wallet specifically? We could take it a step further: Are you under the ethical obligation of killing Hitler in this case?
 
Koldo

Koldo

Outstanding Member
4consideration said:
No.

Stealing in this situation would still be a violation of my integrity -- even though I believe Hitler to have been a total scumbag. His being a bad guy does not require, or justify, the stealing.
Click to expand...

Would legalization of this act influence your opinion?
What's your opinion on jailing people who committed crimes? Is it also a violation of your integrity?
 
Father Heathen

Father Heathen

Veteran Member
Sure, I would. I would also attempt to assassinate him if the odds of that were also favorable.

That aside, I'm not familiar with the story behind this alleged movie theft, but I'm sure whoever they were taken from isn't quite on Hitler's level.
 
McBell

McBell

Unbound
The Sum of Awe said:
"You are in Berlin, 1933. Somehow, you find yourself in a position where you can effortlessly steal Hitler's wallet. This theft will not affect Hitler's rise to power, the nature of WW2, or the Holocaust. There is no important identification in the wallet, but the act will cost Hitler forty Reichsmarks and completely ruin his evening. You do not need the money. The odds that you will be caught committing this act are less than 2 percent. Are you, in your opinion, ethically obligated to steal Hitler's wallet?"
Click to expand...
Theft is theft.
And one who steals is a thief.
Regardless of whatever they come up with to justify their theft.

So to be perfectly honest with you, I fail to see what the "dilemma" is.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The Sum of Awe

The Sum of Awe

Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Staff member
Premium Member
The thing that makes me wonder about this dilemma is, what's the point if it changes nothing and the money has no personal value to you?
 
4consideration

4consideration

*
Premium Member
Koldo said:
Would legalization of this act influence your opinion?
Click to expand...

I find your question a little confusing. Legalization of theft would still be theft. Just because something is legal to do does not mean that I consider it right to do. I do not make a determination that something is automatically OK to do, just because there is no law prohibiting it. I think people are supposed to use their brains.


Koldo said:
What's your opinion on jailing people who committed crimes? Is it also a violation of your integrity?
Click to expand...

Jailing people that have committed crimes (that cause harm to others) is a valid reason for jailing people, IMO. (There are some issues and types of "crime" that I would argue against jailing people.)

It is necessary to take steps to halt destructive action. So, no, my personal sense of integrity is not violated by my participation in a society that structures laws/punishments to protect the innocent from those whose actions show they are bent upon causing harm to others.
 
gnomon

gnomon

Well-Known Member
So it's 1933 Germany and I'm standing next to the Chancellor?

Who the hell am I? Goebbels? von Hindenburg? Would Hitler have a wallet?

Why not present day and I'm standing next to some kid with money sticking out of his pocket. The kid's too young to fully appreciate the value of money and what the hell...if we are making things up...I've got ten pregnant girlfriends. As long as we are rationalizing things.
 
Father Heathen

Father Heathen

Veteran Member
The Sum of Awe said:
Interesting. Would you presumably go back to the present orphanage or during 1933? In the present they'd be a lot more valuable.
Click to expand...

Oh, wait. Time travel? I thought you meant as a citizen of that era. If it involves time travel I wouldn't be there at all; I wouldn't want to risk drastically altaring history or cause paradoxes.
 
Jayhawker Soule

Jayhawker Soule

-- untitled --
Premium Member
The Sum of Awe said:
"You are in Berlin, 1933. Somehow, you find yourself in a position where you can effortlessly steal Hitler's wallet. This theft will not affect Hitler's rise to power, the nature of WW2, or the Holocaust. There is no important identification in the wallet, but the act will cost Hitler forty Reichsmarks and completely ruin his evening. You do not need the money. The odds that you will be caught committing this act are less than 2 percent. Are you, in your opinion, ethically obligated to steal Hitler's wallet?"
Click to expand...
Good grief, no ... :facepalm:
 
The Sum of Awe

The Sum of Awe

Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Staff member
Premium Member
Well, I guess the quote doesn't necessarily mention time travel, though IIRC the question was asked if an "ethical time traveler" would do it.
 
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