Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

Professional Liars

Alan Ryan's article "Professional Liars" explores the idea that some people have jobs that require them to tell credible lies. In particular, he explores the professions of doctor, lawyer, and politician. Essentially, Ryan argues that public trust in these professions requires a truth-telling narrative that may sometimes rely on a well-told lie. He does not, however, actually suggest that professionals should lie. Rather, he argues that professionals should frame the truth in a narrative that understands the society and culture it addresses as a way of strengthening and supporting that culture. Ultimately, he contends that people need to believe that they are being told the "best truth" for any of the three explored systems - medical, legal and political - to function.

Ryan notes that there are many situations where people tell lies. He notes, in particular, the case of a wife who tells her husband she loves his new suit when, if she were honest, she would tell him she finds the suit hideous (Ryan 734). Ryan compares the reaction to such a lie of nonsevere (relational) and severe moralists. Nonsevere moralists would accept the wife's "white lie" as a proper action in furtherance of the goal of strengthening the marriage. On the other hand, severe moralists would argue that a marriage that relied on such lies for its strength is not worth them (Ryan 734). Seemingly, therefore, in the case of doctors, for example, nonsevere moralists would accept a doctor's decision to shield a terminal patient from the true horrors of his or her condition as a proper action in furtherance of the goal of making that person's last days more comfortable. On the contrary, a severe moralist might argue that such an action violates the doctor's code of ethics.

Ryan might note that the doctor's action in the above situation is an example of consequentialist truth-telling. In such situations, the teller bases his level of truth on the hearer's feelings an...

Page 1 of 7 Next >

More on Professional Liars...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
Professional Liars. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 05:06, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1686966.html