I'm in the money...
It's my cash and I’ll burn it if I want to. Today’s dilemma, delayed by the tedium of exams, is about Justin Megabucks, who has so much money from his recording career that for want of anything else to do with it, he burns it for fun sometimes. He’s been criticised for his extravagance, but says that people are envious and that he’s under no obligation to help others. Is he right? Well, he is. Whether I have £1 or £1,000, the money’s mine to do with as I please even although the way in which I use it may not be considered to be maximally beneficial to others and, indeed, utterly wasteful if it doesn’t benefit anyone. In the view of other people, giving the money to someone seems to be better than burning it, although I could stand the whole matter on its head by giving the money to someone who doesn’t need it. Just giving the money to any random recipient wouldn’t necessarily stop people from complaining. In other words, the right thing is to use the money to help others. It’s ano...