THE ETHICS OF GAMBLING [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]
SIR,—If Mr. Rowse believes that the ethics of gambling depend on the degree of knowledge on which the risk is taken, would he justify the man who bets on a horse after a full study of its form and the ability of the jockey ? Snch a gamble is not " pure chance," and on Mr. ROwse'S reasoning is ethically legitimate.
Surely the criterion is not so much the knowledge behind the gamble as its purpose. A risk taken on incomplete knoWledge is little less a chance than one taken on none (and where is the border-line ?), and it almost equally involves allowing one's " environment to live through " one. But that risk can be justified Hnly if its purpose is useful—e.g., business risks and speculation intended to restrict price movements. It is service rather than knowledge which should be the ethical test of a gamble.—I am, Sir, &c., 43 Park Avenue N., Northampton. F. E. PEARSON,
Previous page
