Lying: Is It Justifiable?

Lying is defined as "a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood" (Lying 1). Truth, in contrast, is defined as "honesty; integrity; truthfulness or the actual facts" (Truth 1). With respect to the moral rightness or wrongness of an act such as lying, moral principles like the concepts of autonomy, beneficence, and justice are often used as measures of an act being right or wrong. Autonomy is a fundamental and universal right and value that encompasses treating people with respect and dignity and allowing them to make decisions for themselves with respect to their own lives. Wall (59) maintains autonomy equates to acting in a way that allows rational individuals to control their own lives, "so long as their actions harm no one else." Lying violates autonomy because it does not treat people with respect and does not permit them to make informed decisions regarding their own lives. Justice is the principle that "all human beings ought to have the same moral and legal rights," while beneficence relates to acting so as to promote the welfare of others (Wall 58). Since lying violates all three of these moral principles or measures of an act's moral rightness, under no circumstances should individuals engage in lying. Because of the long term consequences of lying in our personal lives and careers, honesty should always be promoted.

In order to judge the moral worth of any act, some form of ethical measure o

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egal rights as they enjoyed so they violated the principle of justice. War forces difficult decisions on leaders, but this does not mask the fact that even in times of life-and-death lying may be used but that this does not make it moral. Autonomy is a deeply cherished and universal value of all people. Being treated with respect and dignity and having a choice over the decisions that impact one's own life are cherished concepts. This is why the moral principle of autonomy is often involved in measuring the ethicality of an action like abortion or end-of-life decisions, since violating the autonomy of another is often viewed as immoral in its own right. People who lie to loved ones or friends often justify the behavior as considerate of the feelings of these individuals whom they value. However, these - what are typically called "white lies" - lies are more than just the "polite" behavior or "considerate" actions of those who perpetuate them. Ultimately, such lies create distance and erode credibility in relationships. This is because they often are exposed and cause loss of trust and credibility which are difficult and sometimes impossible to restore. For example, a man who has been happily married for seven yea

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