Lying Is Considered An Immoral Act - 1441 Words

It is generally agreed upon that lying is considered an immoral act. However, what if the government was lying to their citizens about matters of foreign and military policy? The Obama administration was recently accused of lying to the people about the details surrounding the death of Osama Bin Laden (Jaffe). They could have done so to preserve international relations, to push a certain agenda, or for the sake of their own particular interests. To a Kantian and utilitarian the justification of lying or lack thereof varies, because of the way they view people and what they consider moral. The reasons behind a lie are not the concern for a Kantian, for they are troubled with the particular action. However, to a utilitarian the consequence of the action are what will determine the lie’s justifiability. The utilitarian belief is that morality depends on the consequences of an action. An action is considered good if it produces the greatest number of happiness or pleasure, rather than pain, to the greatest number of people (Justice a Reader 17). In a utilitarian’s point of view, governments lying to their citizens is acceptable, if the lie is producing more happiness than pain. For example, covering up the truth behind the death of Osama Bin Laden could be rationalized. The utilitarian argument would be that they were preserving international relations; therefore, there actions were in the interest of the greatest number of people. As long as the society’s general happinessShow MoreRelatedLying, By Jeremy Bentham1613 Words   |  7 Pages I am going to argue why lying is immoral no matter who you might be lying to, friends, family, and even someone you do not know. This is immoral because even though lying to someone may bring relief or happiness it’s still hiding the truth from that person. Hiding something they deserve to know even though it may hurt them may also be a form of lying. There are many situations where lying may end friendships, relationships, or even tare families apart because most people want to know the truthRead MoreEthics and Morality Essay1347 Words   |  6 PagesEthics and Morality Is it immoral for a person to write lies on his/her resume? This question poses many questions in its self. How fictitious is the lie, what are you lying about, what could be the consequences of this lie and whom and how will this lie affect the people involved? How would John Stuart Mill answer this question? Mills general position seem to be that one should do what will produce the most happiness, pleasure and with the absence of pain. With this in mind for one toRead MoreKants Moral Theory and Utilitarism Comparison Essay1166 Words   |  5 Pagesbasis. The categorical imperative states â€Å"act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law†. (Kant, pg. 30) A maxim is a reason a person commits and act. (Kant, pg. 30) Kant does not believe a person can act merely from duty. He believes that every individual has some ulterior motive for every action, therefore no individual can act from duty. A good will can be achieved only if an individual acts from duty. A good will in itself is theRead MoreDeontological Ethics881 Words   |  4 Pagesconsequential ethics is that while consequential ethics justify morality with the end result, deontological questions the morality of actions that lead to the result. Whether the end result is moral or not, if the actions taken is immoral, the person who perform that action is immoral. In regards to Kantian ethics, location-based social media providers will have to justify their means of delivering the service. As a service provider, it will be their duty to uphold the service and have adequate privacyRead MoreMoral Relativism And Moral Truth1405 Words   |  6 Pagesdifference between beliefs and truths, because we might believe and act differently but that does not mean that the truth does not exist. Objective standards of right and wrong still exist. A subjectivist lives according to his or her own chosen standards or values. Ernest Hemingway states â€Å" I only know that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after†¦Ã¢â‚¬  HERE so if you feel guilty, the act is immoral and if you feel good, it was moral. The only positive thingRead MoreThe Lesser of Two Evils1509 Words   |  6 Pagesis very similar to how Joseph S Ellin believes the act of Lying is always wrong in any situation however deceiving sometime is acceptable. Trust me, after that whooping I received from my mother I completely agree with his argument. Joseph S. Ellin is currently a professor of Philosophy at Western Michigan. In his own words Ellin defines lying as â€Å"any statement a speaker believes to be false† (Ellin 167). Ellin goes on to explain exactly why lying is wrong which is â€Å"because it is a breach of faith†Read More`` The Bees, The Flowers, Jesus, Ancient Tigers, Poseidon, And Eve1413 Words   |  6 Pagesethical reasons we may hold Hudson accountable for his intent to wield a lie for his own benefit and we could also hold Alexie accountable for not withdrawing the poem after knowledge of the fraudulence. According to Hobbes every humane individual acts in their own self-interest, which is guided by reason. With this reason there is a desire to submit to governmental authority for the better of their self-interest. Hobbes’ egoism revolves around this self-interest; which he claims is the sole driveRead MoreConsequentialist and Non-consequentialist Theories1194 Words   |  5 Pagesmisconduct, keeping promises, not offending people, etc. To me not all these theories are not 100% perfect and does not fully account for its principles. Consequentialist: Focuses on the result of an action. The act is considered a good act if the result is good, likewise and act is considered bad if the result produced is bad. Under the consequentialist theory, we have Egoism and Utilitarianism. Egoism: is a theory of ethics that focuses on achieving goals that benefit or brings pleasure or greatestRead MoreNicomacean Virtue Ethics Essay1537 Words   |  7 PagesUndercover police officers (UPO) act in a way that can be considered wrong in civilian life. The UPO’s actions cause harm and setbacks to people s lives (Miller, Blackler Alexandra 2006). These acts inevitably require the UPO to act immorally, causing genuine dilemmas for the UPO (Miller, Blackler Alexandra 2006). However, committing immoral acts is a fundamental part of the UPO’s ability to apprehend criminals who would otherwise go undetected, and remove drugs from the street (Bronitt RocheRead MoreShould We Legislate Morality? Essay896 Words   |  4 PagesIf something is immoral should it also be illegal? In America, we should not pass laws where the primary concern is morality; we should only pass laws which have civil values as their primary concern. Civil values in this case are values whi ch either ensures the safety or order of a society, such as, traffic laws or zoning laws. Also involved are more important values such as freedom, democracy, and liberty which have been laid out by our founding fathers. I have two basic reasons for holding