Can't smoke that stuff. Makes me (more) paranoid than I already am. Heh.

Follow Up Question - If I am able to reach the seller I will return it and ask nothing in return. But, if he offers me a reward, is it proper for me to accept it? — Sam Sam

I hope that you did not give the seller too much info, maybe they would like it back even if it is not theirs.

If they offer you a reward, accept it. If it costs you anything above a minimal amount to return it, ask if they could refund it for you. If they get uppity about that then you will know you made a mistake going to the trouble of returning it.

Personally I would probably put it away for a while and see if they come looking for it. It is just as easy for them to try and reach you or anyone else that might have bought from them to see if you found anything extra in the box.

Can't smoke that stuff. Makes me (more) paranoid than I already am. Heh. — Posty McPostface

Never tried it myself, I used to prefer cigar when I smoked.

Actually the film that came to mind when I read the OP was The Priceless Pocket. A man had a pair of trousers that gave him money every time he put his hand in the pocket. The government eventually bought the pants of him because they could not prove he was doing anything illegal. He bought a nice new suit and started pulling money from the pocket.

Put it on your bucket list of things to do before you die. I don't know, but I think of it as a healthy habit (cancer prevention). Don't smoke it for that goal though. Wish it was as popular as beer or alcohol, many lives would be saved if it we're a substitute good in that regards.

Put it on your bucket list of things to do before you die. — Posty McPostface

The freaking thing is sooooooooo loooooong I will need a couple of life times already. But I guess I could put it together with #4587 "Go to Political Conference". Might make for an interesting day.

Haha, good luck. Hope it works out for the best if you come around to it.

I don't know, but I think of it as a healthy habbit (cancer prevention). — Posty McPostface

Very leading edge studies prove your assertion to be true. Nicely stated. :up:

Don't smoke it for that goal though. Wish it was as popular as beer or alcohol, many lives would be saved if it we're a substitute good in that regards. — Posty McPostface

Soon to be on your Liquor store shelves....okay soon is relative but it is already a product that is in a aluminum beer shaped bottle with not a lick of Hops in it but a bit of Hemp instead.

I disagree that it would be as easy for him to reach me as it would be for me to reach him. First, he may not have noticed it is missing. Second, he had many people come to his sale (about 10 in the brief time I was there) so even if he knew it was gone, he probably wouldn't know who bought it. And even if he knew who bought it, he probably would not know their name or any other info.

How did so many people find out about the yard sale?

I would presume from some sort of advertising. Using the same method he could reach out to those that attended.

Very leading edge studies prove your assertion to be true. Nicely stated. :up: — ArguingWAristotleTiff

Yeah, it's certainly a healthier habit than alcoholism, say.

Since it's legal where I reside, I might as well ask, how are laws coming along for legalization in AZ?

Personally, if I could I would grow it indoors and reap the benefits of 1:1 THC to CBD. I've heard the CBD potentiates the positive effects on cancer prevention by something like 10-fold.

I didn't read this thread beyond the opening post, but I don't understand how it has lasted 4 pages when the answer is obvious.

In ethics, even in Kantian terms, no one is obliged to conduct himself any more than is convenient, provided the act is done in Good Will, and that it passes the tests of ends and universalizability. — gloaming

Completely, absolutely, totally, ignorantly, and disgustingly wrong.

People go to yard sales to replace the junk they sold at their own yard sales.

Everybody knows it's more fun to play with other people's junk!

Everybody knows it's more fun to play with other people's junk! — VagabondSpectre

In ever so many ways...

Why ask?

You already know what you ought do.

I hope that you did not give the seller too much info, maybe they would like it back even if it is not theirs. — Sir2u

Why are you entertaining the remote possibility that an unrelated person hid a diamond ring in someone else's train set?

If they offer you a reward, accept it. If it costs you anything above a minimal amount to return it, ask if they could refund it for you. If they get uppity about that then you will know you made a mistake going to the trouble of returning it. — Sir2u

Under what theory do we now demand payment for doing what is ethical?

And suppose they are uppity? Are they then not deserving of ethical treatment?

Personally I would probably put it away for a while and see if they come looking for it. It is just as easy for them to try and reach you or anyone else that might have bought from them to see if you found anything extra in the box. — Sir2u

This idea seems consistent with the theme of trying to find some rationalization for keeping what is not yours. It also shows some hostility towards the person, as if they're not really worthy of the ring, but the rules require it's return, so you'll do it, but you're going to be as difficult as possible.

Under what theory do we now demand payment for doing what is ethical? — Hanover

Is it unethical of me to not pay to fix a mistake another person made? If it costs me then it's charity, and charity is a choice, not an ethical obligation.

Completely, absolutely, totally, ignorantly, and disgustingly wrong. — tim wood

So the categorical imperative demands that we return the ring?

Is it unethical of me to not pay to fix a mistake another person made? If it costs me then it's charity, and charity is a choice, not an ethical obligation. — Michael

We've not broken down every fact in our hypothetical, but my assumption was that the return of the ring would result in a de minimis expense to you. If you truly do have some real expense in returning it, I think it'd be fine to ask for reimbursement. In @Sir2u's post, he wasn't referencing reimbursement, but "reward," meaning a special something for being a good guy. I don't see where that would be warranted. I do think you are obligated to make all reasonable efforts to return the ring and cannot ethically impose additional obligations on the person who lost the ring because he owes you something for being the wonderful person you are.

But, yeah, if it costs you $2.50 in postage to mail the ring back, you can rightly ask for that money.

So the categorical imperative demands that we return the ring? — Michael

No.

Yes - I call it the circle of junk. My wife has bought small appliances (blenders, etc.) at yard sales because they were better than what we had. Then she sold the old ones at our yard sale.

Oh Yes! (But after a while it becomes your junk and you have to get more)

You are right. So why did I ask? Curiosity.

Several people have said the answer is obvious. But at the same time, the responses vary widely. Does that mean it is obvious to some and not to others?

Good point. I have seen ads in the yard sale section of the newspaper asking please return my golf clubs (or whatever) I did not mean to sell them. But again, he likely does not know it is gone.

Several people have said the answer is obvious. But at the same time, the responses vary widely. Does that mean it is obvious to some and not to others? — Sam Sam

That is the beauty of Philosophy and the bane of it's existence all rolled into one. You might get 'thinkers' to all agree that there is a cup on the table but ask them if it is a red cup and good golly, you would think we were trying to define the meaning of life.

Since it's legal where I reside, I might as well ask, how are laws coming along for legalization in AZ? — Posty McPostface

Posty, we are a few years away to full legalization if we are to do it at a state level, unless the Federal law changes. The proposal to "legalize like wine" failed but it looks like the Governor of the Cannabis industry is going to be held by the ATF once it goes legal on the Federal level. Here in AZ, we are dealing with a politician who is questioning what exactly we the voters meant, when we voted for the Medical Cannabis program, in that they are questioning whether extracts and concentrates were what we had in mind. Well, my dear politicians, RSO and CBD oil is a life saver and was one of the reasons we enacted the law. Yazy Rad, a young girl with debilitating seizures and CBD oil changed her life and we didn't want to continue for families, to have to make the choice to have safe access to the necessary medicine or move out of state.
It's a hill but one worth climbing.

More power to you. Minds are changing on the issue, slowly but surely.

Why ask?

You already know what you ought do.


Perhaps they wish to know why they feel inclined to go about it whichever way. Perhaps the question is not "what to do" but "why to do it this way or that way"