Justifying the Act of Lying
Truth is the only way to set us free, but we are guilty that lies are much easier to say than truths. We lie to prevent ourselves or other people that we value from becoming hurt. This is exactly the point of Jeremy Bentham when he introduced the Law of Utilitarianism. It states that the moral and political rightness of an action is determined by its utility defined as its contribution to the greatest good of the majority.
There are only two possible purposes of lying, to lie for a good purpose or to lie for a bad purpose. A bad purpose of lying is when you intentionally lie to get yourself out of trouble.And along your search for self security, you step on other people and hurt their feelings. For an example are those rich criminals who pay brilliant lawyers to defend them, they utter lies to convince the jury that they are not guilty, when in fact, they are. This destroys the goal of justice. They step on the innocent to protect themselves. On the other hand, to lie for a good purpose does not take into consideration only one’s self. It is sacrificing truth to protect the people you value and sometimes to help strangers without expecting for any exchange. Put yourself in this situation, your grandmother has a severe heart problem. And too much depression or excitement may risk her life. Your aunt who’s also her one and only daughter met a minor road accident and is still recovering in the hospital. Will you tell your grandmother what happened to your aunt, even though you are aware of the depression it will give her? If you truly are concerned with your grandma’s health, you’d rather lie than to put her into near death. This is an example of using the act of lying for a good purpose.
One must know when the need to lie is and why there is a need to lie. Is it for a good purpose or for a bad one? Will it hurt people or protect them? Consider these questions when you feel the necessity of lying. We have known that lying is bad but when utilized for a good reason, the act of lying is justified.
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