Most of the people always think that lying is bad. For centuries, philosophers and theologians have characterized lying as unethical (Levine & Schweitzer, 2014). Similarly, ethics scholars have argued that the honesty is a critical component of moral character and it is also a fundamental aspect of the ethical behavior. Some lies are perceived to be more ethical than an honest statement. Prosocial lies are intended to benefit the target and have small or substantial consequences (Levine & Schweitzer, 2014). For example parents may tell prosocial lies about their marriage to protect their children, the government authorities may tell a prosocial lie to the citizens, and hoping to protect them and doctors may tell a prosocial lie about the severity …show more content…
Lie can be defined as a statement which believed by those liars to be false and made to another person with the intention of making such person to be deceived by the statement. A lie is always associated with deceit. The term of deceit implies an intention to mislead to the disadvantage of those who are misled (Graafland & Eenkhoorn, 2010). The deception with lying is qualified as a calculated effort to mislead the target of lie. There are ten millions of dollars are lost to American businesses at the hands of dishonest employees. Besides that, detection of deceit is also critical to the public safety and health. When the problem prompted the first lie reappears, the risk of having past untruths exposed is a powerful incentives to lie again. Those who lie on behalf of the state are lauded whereas lying for the enemy is the most heinous crime which considered as traitorous. We can argue that the greater the level of the central control, there will be greater risk from pervasive deception. There was a case which about Chinese leaders knew the disastrous consequences of the Great Leap forward but persisted in their policy and imposed a system of deception. Due to lack of free debate which able to stimulate the action, 10 millions of people died of the starvation in year 1959 to year 1961, it was hidden for years. There are good and bad side of
An example would be during the Nazi’s reign in World War Two where the Jews were persecuted by Nazi Germany. Benevolent and intrepid neighbours would often choose to protect their Jewish friends through weaving elaborate webs of falsehood and truth. They had to live under the constant threat of death hanging over their heads, wondering if today was the day that the Gestapo would come banging on the door, carrying loaded guns at the ready. They must live the lies that they tell day and night; their truths buried deep underneath layers of deceit. Yet without these cozenage, more Jews would have been found and killed and the goal of Hitler to eradicate this race may have succeeded. Deception during times such as these are
Stephanie Ericsson’s essay, “The Ways We Lie” describes the different types of lies that people use daily to avoid conflict, get out of unpleasant situations, and how lying is destructive. From the onset, Ericsson sets the tone of her essay citing personal examples and stating that it is natural to lie under certain circumstances, however we must consider the connotations of our actions. She explains that there are different categories of lies and begins the essay with white lies, justifying that these minor lies are most often used to avoid confrontation sparing people’s feelings. Ericsson then cites a more serious type of lying, such as facades where people create illusions about themselves and their lives, for personal gain. In fact, Ericsson uses a documented case where a Catholic diocese ignored the plain facts covering up the situation because the church was in
Sissela Bok’s Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life focuses around the ethical implications around lying and examines situations when it is appropriate or inappropriate to lie. Bok’s philosophy is unique among many philosophers in that she takes an approach that recognizes that people will lie and that there are certain situations in which lying may be warranted or acceptable depending on the situation at hand and who is responsible for lying. I believe that this is a more realistic expectation of human society. In this paper, I will examine Bok’s reasoning and apply it to possible situations in my professional career that will require me to examine my ethical responsibility around lying. In addition to Bok’s book, I
Or does it?” (Ericsson, 495). “But if I justify lying, what makes me any different from slick politicians or the corporate robbers who raided the S&L industry?” (Ericsson, 496). “What far-reaching consequences will, or others, pay as a result of my lie?
In the essay The Ways We Lie, author Stephanie Ericsson writes in depth about the different types of lies used by most people everyday. While listing examples of them, Ericsson questions her own experiences with lying and whether or not it was appropriate. By using hypothetical situations, true accounts, and personal occurrences, she highlights the moral conflicts and consequences that are a result of harmless fibs or impactful deceptions. In an essay detailing the lies told to ourselves and others, Ericsson points out one bold truth; everyone lies. Through her writing, Ericsson causes the reader to look into how they’ve lied in the past and how to effects others and the general greater good of society.
Lying: it’s something everyone is guilty of. Whether they be big or small, lies are everywhere. We live in a society full of lies, so we take the consequences of lying with a grain of salt. There’s no doubt about it; lying can be dangerous. Therefore, we should be more wary of our lies and their consequences. Lies can be detrimental and do have the potential to change society for the worse.
Stephanie Ericsson categorizes the many ways people lie on a daily basis. She uses a mixture of facts, quotes and opinions to capture the severity of telling a lie. Her article has enabled me to understand the thought process that goes behind telling a lie. She justifies minor lies by using ethos and stating that minor lies prevents hurt feelings and that it is normal to lie. Stephanie frequently asks rhetorical questions to make readers think of the matter at hand. She also uses anaphora to seem more relatable and understanding to her readers. I tell minor lies on a daily basis but I did not realize that there is so many different types of lies. i and many other people often rationalize with ourselves to make our lies seem less harmful when
I agree with the fact that lying is NOT okay. BUT, its also okay in certain situations. Most adults lie to their children about multiple things such as: believing there is a Santa, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, etc. Some adults Some children think what they are being told is true
Honesty and deception both play valuable roles in all parts of personal lives and society. Richard Gunderman stated, “To tell the truth is to live authentically and responsibly, to really live.” Living honestly is a way to have less stress to your life, proven by Richard Gunderman in “Is lying bad for us?” However, dishonesty seems to at an all time high with the growth of communication as stated in “On Bullshit” by Harry Frankfurt. In addition, lying can provide incredible short-term benefits discussed by Stephanie Ericsson in “The Ways We Lie.” Gunderman’s claim on authenticity is valid because most cultures see honesty and trust as two of the more lauded values. Telling the truth relieves stress and adds trust. Yet, there is a seemingly
Lying can save you in severe situations such as life or death. Elie lied about his age and said he was eighteen instead of fifteen. “‘Your age?’ he asked, perhaps trying to sound paternal. ‘I'm eighteen.’ My voice was trembling.” (Wiesel 31). Not telling exact information to strangers about yourself can prevent bad things from happening. He told the doctor he was sick so he didn’t have to get his crown taken. His crown could buy him an extra ration of bread and soup, so he decided it’d be smart to keep it. He said he was a farmer because it could save him from being killed immediately. Lying is one of many ways that can help people survive in certain situations.
The universal theme of “lying is apart of everyone’s nature,” is evident quite often in,
Lying is known as a bad thing, but sometimes it can be used for good. Dishonesty just depends on how you utilize it. In the story, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain you will see lying happening very often. When Huckleberry Finn lies it is usually for a good purpose. While the king and duke use it for more greedy reasons.
The reasons people lie vary, but can be distinguished into lies that are for personal benefit or for someone else’s benefit; because humans tend to be selfish creatures, the first category is more
Lying the one form of communication that is the untruth expressed to be the truth. Immanuel Kant states that lying is morally wrong in all possible ways. His hatred for lying has made him “just assumed that anyone who lied would be operating with a maxim like this: tell a lie so as to gain some benefit.”(Landau,pp.171) This is true for a vast number of people, they will lie in order to gain a certain benefit from the lie rather than the truth.It is similar to if you play a game of truth or dare, some rather pick a dare because it would release them from having to tell the truth. However, those who do pick truth still have a chance to lie to cover up the absolute truth.People lie in order to cover who they truly are. Even if you lie to benefit someone or something else, it would not matter to Kant because he does not care for the consequences. If you lie but have a good intention it is not the same for Kant, he would argue that you still lied no matter the consequence that a lie is a lie. “ While lying, we accuse others for not being transparent. While being hypocrites ourselves, we expect others to be sincere.” (Dehghani,Ethics) We know how it feels to be lied to by a person, so in order to not have the feeling returned, we hope the person will be truthful. We rather be surrounded by truthful people constantly despite all the lies that some people tell. No
What are lies? A lie is defined as follows: To make a statement that one knows to be false, especially with the intent to deceive. There are several ways that lies are told for instance, there are white lies, lies of omission, bold faced lies, and lies of exaggeration. No matter what type of lie that one chooses to tell many people believe that lies do more harm than good.