Your neighbor, with whom you are friendly but not friends, asks you to buy a random
lottery ticket for her when you are pulling out of your driveway to go to the Royal Farm
Store. She says to you laughing, “Just buy my ticket with my dollar and make sure you
don’t get it mixed up with yours in case mine wins!” “You bet,” you say and drive away.
At the Royal Farm Store you smile to yourself and decide to actually follow your
neighbor’s instructions precisely and buy her a random ticket with the dollar she gave
you. You then place the ticket in your shirt pocket so that you can remember that it is the
ticket you bought for her. You then buy a “set number” ticket for yourself with your own
money.
When you get home your neighbor is not around, so you go inside and later learn that
the random ticket you bought for your neighbor with her money won the lottery jackpot
of $1.8 million. You could really use the money, as you are behind n your rent, car
payments and owe $4,000 on your credit cards- not to mention that you need money to
complete your college education. What would you say to your neighbor when she calls
you asking whether her ticket was the winning ticket? Why?
Remember: What would an ethical egoist advise to say to your neighbor and why?
What would you say to your neighbor and why?