applied ethics - telling lies Flashcards
how would an act utilitarianism feel about telling lies?
the end justifies the mean
- it is morally justifiable if it leads to the maximisation of happiness - in fact we OUGHT to lie
but this seems an odd conclusion
what is an example of why it is an odd conclusion?
two american tourists stop you in london and ask for the quickest way to get to st pauls but with a quick utilitarian calculation you tell them the scenic route which is 10 mins longer
- some people will say that this is the wrong thing to do as people do not want to be lied to
- the benefits of a lie mostly come with the lie not being found out - that would reduce the good outcomes.
what would a preference utilitarianism say about telling lies?
they would focus on whether telling a lie would fit with someone’s preferences.
- most people would prefer to be told the truth but in some circumstances some people want to be lied to.
what would a rule utilitarianism say about telling lies?
the rule would say that we must always tell the truth
- but weak rule utilitarianism is the position that most people agree with - telling the truth cannot always be a good thing
what would kant think about telling lies?
you cannot universalise a maxim of telling lies - if everyone lied,, you could not decieve anymore.
- you are also not treating people as rationla people with their own ends
what would kant think about the axeman example?
kant claims that you have a duty to tell the truth in this scenario although this goes against our common sense/intuitions.
- you could stay silent instead but if you are forced to - you should tell the truth
how do telling lies impact the universal law formulation?
many argue that the universal law formulation does not require you to tell the truth at all times.
- it seems reasonable that everyone should follow the maxim such as ‘i will tell the truth except in the circumstance that i am in a situation that will put someone’s life in danger’
how does always telling the truth have problems?
- the two formulations cannot mean the same thing as kant claimed because they came to different answers with the same question
- the consequences of telling the truth are disastrous (dying) and by only focusing on our motive we leave ourselves open to the faults of others’ reasoning
how do telling lies impact the humanity formulation?
when we lie to someone we are taking away their ability to make rational decisions and using them as a means to an end so we should always tell the truth
how are legal lies affected by kant’s views on lying?
lying may be morally wrong but are not always legally wrong
- but telling lies can leave the liar partly responsible for anything that happens but telling the truth cannot
people believed that kant was making a statement on the law when he spoke about the axeman example
what does aristotle believe about telling lies?
virtue ethics requires that we develop an honest character as that is how we will be able to flourish both ourselves and as a society
this is because our success depends on our trust
what does Geach argue?
he argues that the virtue of honesty enables us to develop our practical wisdom or that dishonesty undermines our practical wisdom.
- the habit of lying means that we do not have to work harder on finding alternative solutions - we don’t use our practical wisom.
what does aristotle think about the axe murderer?
lying in a one off situation is a fine thing to do
what does moral realism say?
naturalism - telling lies is wrong is true if simulated killing has the natural property of wrongness
non-naturalism - telling lies is wrong is true if simulated killing has the non-natural property of wrongness
