Is It Ever Acceptable To Lie Research

Most of us were taught from the time we are children that it is wrong to lie. Our parents, teachers and other adults told us that we should always tell the truth no matter what. That’s why my first reaction is that it is never acceptable to lie regardless of the situation. However, with a closer critical examination of the topic it is easy to see that it is not the best answer. Life is not always so black and white with right and wrong so easily defined. There are times when we might want or even feel we have to tell a lie, but does that make it acceptable? Who gets to say what makes a good reason for lying? These are the questions that make up the grey areas in life.

Has anyone ever asked your opinion about something, but you lied to spare

their feelings. Maybe you have had a friend who asked you if you liked their outfit and you said yes even though you really did not. These are common lies we tell because they keep the truth from hurting people. We can easily justify them to ourselves for that reason, but does that mean it is acceptable. Would our honesty in that situation be more valued than the flattering lie? No, I don’t think so. What about other lies that do not hurt anyone? I could lie to my friends about where I was yesterday and who I was with. Is that kind of lie reasonable? Where do we draw the line? I think the difference is the intent behind the lie. It is alright to bend the truth if you are protecting someone else instead of yourself. These were two extremely mundane circumstance, but what if people’s lives relied on the falsifying of facts.
In “Bartolome de Las Casas, Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies” Las Casas gave an account of atrocities being done to the indigenous people of the Americas. He was so descriptive that I don’t believe he was exaggerating in his writings. Even if he over exaggerated the horrors that were taking place, he had good reason to. He was doing everything he could to bring people’s attention to what the indigenous people were suffering. He brought his book as facts before the courts in Europe to have slavery of the indigenous people outlawed. His account true or not stopped the enslavement of thousands of people, which is an extremely noble act.
Every person has their own moral opinions and there are always reasons to justify one’s actions. For me the truth weighs less than someone’s life. If I were ever faced with a situation in which saving someone’s life meant I had to change the facts, I would. Doing something that society views as “wrong” for a good reason or a noble cause may not be a bad thing. It depends on the individual, the situation and their specific moral code.