Philosopher Immanuel Kant That Lying Is Immorally Wrong

The nuances of lies are far too important to simply say all lies are bad. Some lies harm, some help, and some don’t do much at all. People lie, so to generalize would only lead to more

The Ways We Lie by Stephanie Ericsson explains how everyone lies in this world, one way or another. Ericsson expresses the many ways people lie and why they do so. She educates her audience by describing the different types of lies told daily by sharing personal stories, asking rhetorical questions and creates hypothetical situations to support her statements. She begins with the white lie, which is a harmless lie instead of the truth, if the truth was bad news. Then she continues to explain a façade, changing your personality making people believe something you are not. She proceeds with explaining how deflecting is also a type of lying. She continues to explain omission, which is when you’re telling the truth, but leaving out important details.

Many people wonder is it wrong to lie or are there some situation where lying is the best option? In the book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon, Mark Haddon shifts Christopher’s outlook on honesty and changed his outlook dramatically. Many people, including Christopher, believe in the statement “honesty is the best policy.” However while Christopher becomes more independent, he realizes that in some situations being dishonest might be the best answer. When his father lies to Christopher, Christopher follows his father’s actions and starts to comprehend when he must lie. Throughout the course of Christopher’s life, he begins to realize that lying is not always the wrong thing to do.

There are many times when lying is the best option, the act is reasonable as long as it’s justified.

One of the greatest commandments written in history is “Thou Shalt not lie.” From a young age we have been taught of the negative effects of lying. We are taught, as toddlers, not to cheat on tests and punished for our dishonesty when caught. But as we grow older we discover that lying is not as terrible as we were raised to believe. Sometimes lying is safer than the truth. Lying helps us to protect the well-being of family and friends. Deception and secrecy are two major themes of Lois Lowry’s The Giver. While being dishonest is against the rules in The Giver, the survival of the community is dependent on deception and secrecy. Lying is written into the daily lives of the people of the community, and used so commonly that people are not aware

When it comes down to it the way you lie and the purpose behind your lies, are dependent on your moral and ethical values as an individual. Whether you are five years old or fifty years old, you have told a lie at some point in your life. Despite the inability of us humans to avoid lying, we all lie for different reasons. According to “ The Truth About Lying”, Judith Viorst believes in various types of lies such as protective lies, social lies, truth-keeping lies, and peacekeeping lies. In the very first sentence Viorst explained how difficult it was for her to write about this. “I’ve been waiting to write on a subject that intrigues and challenges me; the subject of lying. I’ve found it very difficult to do.” (Viorst,

In the Bible, James 3:8, quoted is “But no human being can tame the tongue, it is a relentless evil, full of deadly poison.” This quote says that lying happens frequently; no one can resist it. It also says lying is deadly, which is also shown in the Bible within the story of Adam and Eve, when the serpent lies to Eve, convincing her to consume the sacred fruit. In modern society, lying is a common practice. A person may lie protect themselves, or to gain something wanted. This may be due to religious diversity or the decay of respect in society.

Stephanie Ericsson begins her explorative essay, “The Ways We Lie,” with a personal anecdote of all the lies she fabricated in one day. She told her bank that a deposit was in the mail when it was not, told a client that the traffic had been bad when she was late for other reasons, told her partner that her day was fine when it was really exhausting, and told her friend she was too busy for lunch when she just was not hungry, all in the course of a day. She shifts from talking about herself to talking about everyone, claiming that all people lie, exaggerate, minimize, keep secrets, and tell other lies. But, like herself, most still consider themselves honest people. She describes a week in which she tried to never tell a lie; it was debilitating, she claims. Furthermore, telling the truth all the time has serious consequences. She postulates that lying, though a form of hedging, must have some merit. She cites a broad definition of a lie from Webster’s dictionary, and asserts that this definition includes many types of lying.

Describe a circumstance, obstacle or conflict in your life and the skills and resources you used to resolve it. Did it change you? If so, how?

One reason, is lying can lead people in the wrong direction because it can make another person confused what to do. Someone is telling a friend directions to the park, but the person is just going back to your home to relax, while his friend is tries to figure where he is. He makes an excuse by telling him you are busy. Then, his friend gets betrayed so the friendship is ruined by him. In that example written, people can get trusted easily sometimes.

In our society, many people assume that lying is something wrong to do; they use to say that you always have to tell the truth no matter the situation. I believe those people are certainly wrong because it is impossible for any human being to always tell the truth, Mark Twain said “Lying is universal—we all do it.” This world would be so bizarre if everyone would speak only the truth. It is just something that would never happen, but people are fooling themselves thinking that lying is wrong, that we must tell the truth always.

Certain lies are okay, if they are used correctly. For example, in the article, “Brad Blanton: Honestly, just tell the truth”, by Barbara Ballinger, Blanton states that “we shouldn’t manipulate the truth except for the rare times…”. I believe that the only lies that should be told are lies to protect individuals who are in need. You shouldn’t manipulate the truth, either you tell the truth or lie when yourself or others are in danger. Additionally, in Ballinger's article, Blanton also states “ if you’re hiding Anne Frank in your attic because her life is in danger, then you should lie.

According to Kantianism, we should never treat anyone merely as a mean, which means that you should tell the truth even if it hurts other

Many people have told lies and been told lies ,however the biggest lie of all is lying to oneself. Everyone has been told to share the truth because even though the truth will hurt others now, a carried out lie will hurt them a lot more in the future. It 's better to do right than to live in lies such as don 't hide all your faults they won 't just go away, you need to learn from your mistakes. In Les Miserables and The Kite Runner a man 's reputation is not as important as his family. As in giving up yourself for another and to be happy, like leaving your homeland where you are known and in charge to become a working man and make your family happy.

The Ted Talk “How to Spot a Liar” by Pamela Meyer discusses and compares seeking the truth and seeking the lie. There is not only a strict scientific method to it but a more humanistic approach. Meyer tells us how lie spotters are armed with scientific knowledge on spotting deception (Meyer, 2011). The strongest points of Meyers’ argument are that lying is a cooperative act. If a lie is not believed or believable, it has lost its value. A lie has a perpetrator and a victim and without these characteristics, it’d fail. Lying is also an attempt to bridge a gap that connects our fantasies and reality (Meyer, 2011). When thinking about Schemas, lying has to be the most universally common model. The characteristics of a lie