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This thread is to discuss whether people feel that something is unethical, not to find out what the law*/T&C says.

Any Halachic questions should be posted here.

*According to CountValentine this includes religion, but unfortunately for him, the general consensus is that religion will always be entwined in this thread.

*Hint* If you have to ask, It's most likely not ethical.
« Last edited by UKinNYS on April 13, 2021, 11:51:23 AM »

Author Topic: Is It Ethical?  (Read 556367 times)

Offline AJK

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #480 on: October 23, 2012, 01:04:31 AM »
getting mail and realizing they didn't cancel the stamp.  can you take the stamp off and reuse it?

A better question: How COULD it be ethical?
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Offline ReadsTheT&C

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #481 on: October 23, 2012, 01:22:42 AM »
it's your responsibility to do the post office's job?

Offline HelpMe

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #482 on: October 23, 2012, 01:23:45 AM »
getting mail and realizing they didn't cancel the stamp.  can you take the stamp off and reuse it?
"Whoever knowingly uses in payment of postage, any postage stamp, postal card, or stamped envelope, issued in pursuance of law, which has already been used for a like purpose—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both[.]"

« Last Edit: October 23, 2012, 01:29:08 AM by HelpMe »
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Offline AJK

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #483 on: October 23, 2012, 08:54:12 AM »
it's your responsibility to do the post office's job?

Since when is that the litmus test for ethics?
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Offline HelpMe

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #484 on: October 23, 2012, 10:20:26 AM »
it's your responsibility to do the post office's job?
No but you might want to check the law first.  ;D
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Offline AJK

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #485 on: October 23, 2012, 10:39:35 AM »
No but you might want to check the law first.  ;D

Meh, I'm not convinced legal = ethical, or illegal = unethical...
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Offline ReadsTheT&C

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #486 on: October 23, 2012, 01:45:32 PM »
Since when is that the litmus test for ethics?
if the post office is not going to take steps to absolutely ensure their stamps are cancelled, then why would that burden then fall on the consumer?  Furthermore, if one sent a letter which never arrived (which has happened to most people), is he not being made whole by receiving his money back from the post office in the form of an uncancelled stamp?

Offline AJK

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #487 on: October 23, 2012, 01:51:16 PM »
if the post office is not going to take steps to absolutely ensure their stamps are cancelled, then why would that burden then fall on the consumer?

You need to review the definition of ethics, IMHO.
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Offline ReadsTheT&C

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #488 on: October 23, 2012, 02:58:20 PM »
You need to review the definition of ethics, IMHO.
ethics are inherently malleable as they are decided by a dynamic society so a strict definition wouldn't yield an answer.  furthermore, if someone loses something and doesn't chase after it, a la yayush (giving up hope), the assumption is they don't care enough about it and therefore it becomes hefker (ownerless).  why should this be any different?  The only argument I see is that the fact that there's a law against it means the post office is never really miya'aysh but if that's the case why bother cancelling stamps at all?

Offline HelpMe

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #489 on: October 23, 2012, 03:04:28 PM »
ethics are inherently malleable as they are decided by a dynamic society so a strict definition wouldn't yield an answer.  furthermore, if someone loses something and doesn't chase after it, a la yayush (giving up hope), the assumption is they don't care enough about it and therefore it becomes hefker (ownerless).  why should this be any different?  The only argument I see is that the fact that there's a law against it means the post office is never really miya'aysh but if that's the case why bother cancelling stamps at all?
Because some people are not ethical and will try and reuse them?

I appreciate the definition/translation but how about this one "miya'aysh"?
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Offline AJK

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #490 on: October 23, 2012, 03:08:46 PM »
ethics are inherently malleable as they are decided by a dynamic society so a strict definition wouldn't yield an answer.  furthermore, if someone loses something and doesn't chase after it, a la yayush (giving up hope), the assumption is they don't care enough about it and therefore it becomes hefker (ownerless).  why should this be any different?  The only argument I see is that the fact that there's a law against it means the post office is never really miya'aysh but if that's the case why bother cancelling stamps at all?

I agree with your first sentence. But you're also mixing halacha into it, which I don't think this thread is for.

How about this - we take a poll from our "dynamic society":

Does anyone think reusing a stamp is ethical? [because I'm asking, I'm going to assume silence means people believe it is unethical]
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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #491 on: October 23, 2012, 03:16:44 PM »
[because I'm asking, I'm going to assume silence means people believe it is unethical]
just in general


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Offline ReadsTheT&C

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #492 on: October 23, 2012, 03:30:37 PM »
anything for HelpMe: miya'aysh (same Hebrew root word as "yayush" above) means that the owner has given up hope of retrieving his object rendering it ownerless, thereby allowing anyone to take full possession of it.
« Last Edit: October 23, 2012, 03:38:26 PM by ReadsTheT&C »

Offline meshugener

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #493 on: October 23, 2012, 06:37:57 PM »

How about this - we take a poll from our "dynamic society":

 [because I'm asking, I'm going to assume silence means people believe it is unethical]
But silence could also indicate that one simply don't care about ethics.
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Offline AJK

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #494 on: October 23, 2012, 06:41:00 PM »
But silence could also indicate that one simply don't care about ethics.

My post/poll, my rules.

If you'd like to break the silence and post that you don't care about ethics, the color green, or sunflowers, be my guest. But until then, I'm going to assume you think it's unethical.
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Offline lfas25

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #495 on: October 23, 2012, 06:53:55 PM »
The bigger question is what you define as ethical, what's ethical for one person may not be for another...
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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #496 on: October 23, 2012, 06:56:01 PM »
The bigger question is what you define as ethical, what's ethical for one person may not be for another...

ethics are inherently malleable as they are decided by a dynamic society so a strict definition wouldn't yield an answer.

I agree with your first sentence. But you're also mixing halacha into it, which I don't think this thread is for.

How about this - we take a poll from our "dynamic society":

Does anyone think reusing a stamp is ethical? [because I'm asking, I'm going to assume silence means people believe it is unethical]
2015: 116K bkd | 1.6M brnd | F: OZ,NH,AA,EK | J: UA,CA,TK,DL,TN,AF,VA | LIH,NRT,ROR,PEK,CNS,BOB,MEL,TLV & Pacific Hopper

Offline ReadsTheT&C

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #497 on: November 14, 2012, 07:06:26 PM »
I'm being flown out somewhere and the organization gave me a budget for the flight.  Delta is the best flight and costs $275.  I have a $15 eCert in my skymiles account.  Is it ethical to book it, send them a receipt for $275, then cancel and rebook it at $260?
Alternatively, is it ethical to book, send them a receipt, then book it yourself using miles?

Offline meshugener

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Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #498 on: November 14, 2012, 07:15:49 PM »
Don't see why not.
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Re: Re: Is It Ethical?
« Reply #499 on: November 14, 2012, 07:32:40 PM »
I'm being flown out somewhere and the organization gave me a budget for the flight.  Delta is the best flight and costs $275.  I have a $15 eCert in my skymiles account.  Is it ethical to book it, send them a receipt for $275, then cancel and rebook it at $260?
Alternatively, is it ethical to book, send them a receipt, then book it yourself using miles?
Why don't you ask them?
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