In Immanuel Kant’s (On Political Reactions) he states that “It is a duty to tell the truth”. Kant also continues on to say that the concept of duty remains inseparable from the concept of right. One being corresponding to the rights of another qualifies as a duty. Where are there are no rights, there are no duties. To tell the truth is a duty: but it remains a duty only in respect to one who has a right to the truth. However, no one has a right to a truth which injures others ( Kant, Immanuel). The question of whether or not lying ever proves acceptable constitutes as a gray area. An idea proposed by Immanuel Kant, are you to lie to a murderer?
If one tells a lie, such as stating people are not present in their home at the time when they are really there, and murder has been prevented the lie was told with a justifiable cause. Was it still ethical to lie is an important question that opens up the potential for heavy debate. The lie that was told enabled a life is still able to continue on. On the
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Lying is a form of deception, but not all forms of deception are lies.
Lying proves itself as one of the most common acts carried out within society, but lying and deceit are also acts that are commonly deemed “wrong”. One researcher has said 'lying is an unavoidable part of human nature’. Therefore, the majority of people find that lying and deceit, as well as the morality of the two, are worth thinking about. Most people would say lying and deceit are always wrong, unless there is a good reason behind it. One can conclude that this means that lying and deceit are not always blatantly wrong. Lying qualifies as a form of deception, but not all forms of deception qualify as lies.
Why is lying
Is lying ever okay? In Elie Wiesel’s book, Night, Elie lies to Stein about his family still being alive. This was not right for Elie to do. In the long run this ended up hurting Stein even more.
In Brad Blanton: Honestly, Tell the Truth, an article by Barbara Ballinger, Ballinger shares Blanton’s opinion about telling the truth, “Delivering the truth is easier, takes less time, and is less stressful,” (para 3) Blanton believes that delivering the truth is much easier, then to lie, but Blanton also believes that lies are acceptable in some circumstances. Ballinger supports Blanton’s ideas by stating that lies hurts relationships and is very stressful, and Blanton also believes that lies are needed in rare and dangerous situations such as Anne Frank's life. Ballinger addresses Brad Blanton’s opinion about lying in, which he believes that telling the truth is the easier and healthier option, he also believes that lies are justified in
William Damon’s “The Death of Honesty” presents a solemn analysis of the decline of modern virtue due to a “dysfunctional tipping point” where honesty is no longer viewed as a moral characteristic worthy of pursuing. Dishonesty is presented as both a virtue and a vice that is shaping our contemporary society. The Hoover Institution of Stanford University published Mr. Damon’s article in 2012 under the Task Force on the Virtues of a Free Society, which would provide a target audience of students, educators, parents or anyone with an interest in sociology, specifically in the United States. A rhetorical analysis exposes flaws in Mr. Damon’s logic, while the appeal of ethos and pathos are successful tools in creating a connection with readers.
Throughout life, we sometimes don't take the time to think about what comes out of our mouth. We feel the need to tell a falsehood to make ourselves look better or feel better. After all, we don't want to accept the harsh truth of reality that is lives are not perfect. Sometimes we even forget why we're even lying at all. However, we are not alone as human begins it's in our nature to lie.
Lying has not been formally considered morally wrong or right regardless of the severity. Although it’s near impossible to go through a whole day without even stretching the truth once and decide which types of lies are okay or not. Stephanie Ericsson uses strong metaphors and personal experiences in “The Ways We Lie” to justify the use of our everyday lying. This unbiased essay will help readers decide whether it’s okay to lie on a daily basis. Ericsson starts out with saying she told the bank that her deposit was in the mail even though she hadn't written out the check (495).
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.
Lies, fibs, whatever they’re called, they’re considered wrong. But what if a lie was the only way to protect a loved one? Here’s an example: Person A has lied to their spouse, but it’s for their own good. Person A’s spouse always complains of the way that they look, saying they are fat and ugly. Being the amazing partner Person A is, they always lie and tell them how beautiful they are, so that their partner can feel better about themself.
As Ericsson puts it, “We lie. We all do. We exaggerate, we minimize, we avoid confrontation, we spare people’s feelings, we conveniently forget, we keep secrets, we justify lying. . .” (Ericsson, 2004, p. 120). These all exhibit forms of lies that people use every day.
The White Hat Prevails All Within Stephanie Ericsson essay, “The Ways We Lie”, she did a profound job of explaining and deciphering the reasons as to why people lie. Ericsson explains how specific lies carry dire consequences and may be detrimental to the individual being lied to. Her target audience is everyone because, lying is an action that relates to us because it’s an internal instinct given certain situations. To add, she outlines her essay by including relatable situations that happen in real life as the foundation of her argument. By using both elements of ethos and pathos, Ericsson strategically uses rhetorical strategies in order to bring awareness to the effects of dishonesty.
Can dishonesty be valuable if it was used to achieve desirable outcomes? Is lying considered justified if it was involved in a dangerous situation? It is not always bad to lie. As children, we were continuously taught to be honest. We have grown to be implanted with the fact that lying is unacceptable but admissible.
Lying with Good Intentions There are many times when lying is the best option, the act is reasonable as long as it’s justified. Similar to Ericsson’s experience in her essay “The Ways We Lie”, telling the truth isn’t always possible. When a person receives a notification for a late fee, the first instinct is to find a way out of the situation with a lie. Knowing that the bill has yet to be paid, the lie is easier than facing the repercussions of the truth. According to Ericsson, “I discovered that telling the truth all the time is nearly impossible” (1).
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.
The real truth is that sometimes lying is the only answer to fix what life throws at people. The lies that Huckleberry Finn told with the intent of saving Jim are justifiable. While on the other hand, the duke and the dauphin angered the readers every time these con men opened their mouths. What makes a lie good or bad? Is
On the other hand, I believe that lying is a necessity in certain circumstances. For example, we tend to lie to others in little things like their appearance or when they give us a bad present, we lied to not hurt their feelings and to not be rude to them. I think that those small polite lies are okay to say in order to make people feel good about themselves and to keep their affection. I agree with Mark Twain when he said, “lie for other’s advantage, and not our own; to lie healingly, charitably, humanely, not cruelly, hurtfully, and
(Text.pg.116) Lies are morally wrong, for two reasons. First, lying corrupts the most important quality of being human: your ability to make free, rational choices is deprived of you the moment you tell a lie. Each lie you tell contradicts the part of you that gives you moral worth. Second, lies deprive others of their freedom to choose rationally. When your lie leads people to decide other than they would have had they known the truth, you have harmed their human dignity and autonomy.