Father Tim Jones Act Of Shoplifting

If an individual is unable to provide the necessities needed to maintain their own personal welfare, or are unable to live in a particular standard, an option for the individual may be to steal the items absent in their life to achieve an improved state of being. This notion is extremely controversial as it is a means to offer personal benefit at the expense of another individual. In an attempt to understand this concept further, Father Tim Jones offers insight through a somewhat Christian perspective. Specifically, Jones described the act of shoplifting as the best option to survive when an individual is in a dire circumstance. That instead of engaging in the act of prostitution, suicide, or burglary, one should minimize the potential damage

Indeed, this idea could be considered blasphemous within the Christian church; “People do not despise a thief if he steals to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry, but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold; he will give all the goods of his house” (English Standard Version, Proverbs 6:30-31). In this passage, it is suggested that people should allow the act of stealing for survival only if the individual is not caught. As this passage may apply to a select demographic, the relationship of morality and theft should be unraveled in order to interpret the most humane way of recognizing the act of theft as well as the possible ethical systems that may allow for morality within criminal

When the act of theft is presented through the premises of egoism, one could recognize the act of theft to be inherently good as it benefits the individual. Similarly, if one were to understand the action of theft through psychological egoism, the claim could be made that theft is an innate symptom of the human condition. However, if an individual were to only use theft as a means of survival, or steal consistently, they would eventually be in a disadvantageous position within their community as their value would dramatically decrease which may impact their standard of living. This idea can best be described through game theory. Chiefly, a logical error exists within the constructs of egoism where the tenant of self-interest would actually make an individual at a disadvantageous position. On the basis of the Prisoner’s Dilemma, alternating options are offered to each participant so that their self-interest is challenged. Those who choose to act in their self-interest tend to end up in a worse scenario than those who cooperate together for mutual benefit. In conclusion, theft relies on self-interest and is therefore acceptable under this premise when it benefits the individual, but should only be used when the consequences of the action are less than the benefit of the action as one should always attempt to benefit their own