Does The End Ever Justify The Means?

One of the most hotly debated topics in the field of ethics is the question, “Does the end justify the means?” This topic is divided on the primary basis of whether an objectionable action can be justified by the end result of the action or actions. It is fair to argue that as long as the end result is considered beneficial by a majority of the population, any course of action to achieve that result would be considered justified. Another critical facet of this debate is where to draw the line in the proverbial sand of the ethical arena. In general, the ends always justifies the means, so long as the end result is positive.

Murder is consider morally wrong by the vast majority of the human race, and it is punished by the harshest means possible. Despite the fact that murder is unacceptable to most people (which human morals are based on what the majority of the population considers acceptable anyways), it is often excused in situations when the death of an individual or a group results in something of positive benefits, such as war. Despite that however, even the most moral person wi...