Is lying ever moral?

[Marwikedor]

Is it ever moral to tell a lie? Ever? Like if you don't want to tell a girl her ass looks fat in those jeans (especially when she doesn't ask) because she'll hit me. Again. What about when if you tell Mr. Nazi no, no, no, Mr. Nazi, I am not hiding Jews in my basement, even though it is a lie? Do you think Governments have the right to lie on occasion for security reasons?

 

[ralphfan]

Yes, there are certainly good reasons to lie.

 

[Marwikedor]

But Thou Shalt not Lie doesn't make any distinctions between white lies and lies that save millions of lives. A lie is a lie. Or is it? People of faith would do well to learn of Mental Reservation.

Example of that: Dieting Kid: Mom, I assure you, I did not have one piece of cake at the party tonight.

Now mom can say, well then how many pieces did you have. Or she may not. But no lie has been told.

 

[ralphfan]

But Thou Shalt not Lie doesn't make any distinctions between white lies and lies that save millions of lives.

Who says you have to follow the Ten Commandments? Not everyone is religious, you know.

 

[Marwikedor]

But Thou Shalt not Lie doesn't make any distinctions between white lies and lies that save millions of lives.

Who says you have to follow the Ten Commandments? Not everyone is religious, you know.

FYI, Thou Shalt not Lie ain't one of the Ten Commandments. But I'm sure there's a rule against it somewheres.

 

[Revin]

But Thou Shalt not Lie doesn't make any distinctions between white lies and lies that save millions of lives.

Who says you have to follow the Ten Commandments? Not everyone is religious, you know.

FYI, Thou Shalt not Lie ain't one of the Ten Commandments. But I'm sure there's a rule against it somewheres.

It is one of the Ten Commandments.

 

[Pokemon DP]

There is no commandment against lying. There is a commandment against making false or insincere promises to God, and another against falsely accusing others or falsely testifying against them, but nothing about lying in the broader context you're speaking of.

 

[Xiahou Dun]

When it comes to lying, it really depends on the situation.

You wouldn't tell the truth about specific details where you live on the internet, would you?

Honesty is still a really good trait to have, but there are situations where you need to lie or not say anything at all.

 

[Mario4Ever]

*I can picture the booing now*

There is no objective morality. What is "right" and what is "wrong" is labeled as such according to an individual's biases, wants, and/or needs, so I cannot definitively provide an opinion on lying one way or another. I can, however, say that I have found it useful in certain situations.

 

[Bop1996]

As much as there is to be said for some things in life being relative, the fact that absolute truth is subjective may be true for everyone else, but it isn't true for me. The self-contradiction of allowing such a policy to rule one's life is nearly laughable. Lying is typically immoral, but if the question is being asked for immoral purposes, a lie would typically be morally sound.

 

[Mario4Ever]

As much as there is to be said for some things in life being relative, the fact that absolute truth is subjective may be true for everyone else, but it isn't true for me. The self-contradiction of allowing such a policy to rule one's life is nearly laughable. Lying is typically immoral, but if the question is being asked for immoral purposes, a lie would typically be morally sound.

*Subjective statement in bold*

Anyway, how would you define "morally sound" (it's easier to discuss these sorts of things if I have a definition from which to work, since I don't define these myself)?

 

[Bop1996]

That was sarcastic, if you didn't know. Morally sound in this case falls under the commonly accepted principle of utilitarianism, where whatever causes the least amount of harm to the least amount of people is the preferred choice.