Ethics of con artists

[Spongebob]

Swindling old ladies out of their pension cheques also serves it's intended purpose by generating money. I'd hesitate to describe it as ethical.

Contrary to the opinions of Signore Machiavelli and others, the end does not justify the means.

Boru

This is front and center to what I'm talking about.  I'm curious what makes you hesitate.  What would make you even remotely consider it ethical?  I'm genuinely interested in how we process this idea of what's ok to do to make money and why.

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There are much worse cons for money. Examples: Theranos, Purdue, Mylan, Juul.

Should we throw organized religion and chiropractic in just for kicks?

Absolutely consider those and all others.  I just seeded the conversation with the covid treatments but that's not even scratching the surface.

I wouldn't consider Juul to be a con, though.  It delivers exactly what it purports to deliver.  Is there some misrepresentation in the product?

Chiropractic for sure, at least some aspects of it.  There are some legitimate aspects to the practice and a large number of its practitioners have stopped making all of the woo woo claims, but some are still at it.  So overall I still consider it a pseudo-science.  At best its a very expensive massage.