Scenario: Homeless Man Returns Diamond Ring
A homeless man panhandling in Kansas City, Missouri was asking passersby for change, while holding an empty cup. A woman dropped some change into the cup, but her diamond ring accidentally fell into the cup at the same time, and she did not notice it. (She kept the ring in her pocket because it irritated her finger.)
The homeless man did not notice the ring until he was getting ready to leave for the day. He thought the ring was a fake, but had it appraised and found it was worth $4,000. The homeless man kept the ring, hoping the owner would come by again, which she did two days later. He returned the ring to her, saying his upbringing did not allow him to pawn the ring, "It's a blessing but I do still have some character." The woman's fiancée later started an online fund-raising drive to raise funds for the homeless man for his honesty. Within a week more than 6,000 people had donated money to him.
Evaluate the moral permissibility of returning the ring, accidentally dropped into the cup of the homeless man.
