Is Lying Ever Morally Justifiable - Essay Example

You might not necessarily be caught by anyone but surely there is a price too heavy to be paid (Penzera, 2012, pp. 149). Therefore, the acknowledgment of moral consequences leaves men with self-defense as the only reason to lie.

Sullivan (1989) presents the theory of Kant, who is a philosopher, on lies. In Sullivan’s report, Kant distinguishes between untruth and a lie. “Every lie is an untruth, but not every untruth is a lie.” (Sullivan, 1989, pp. 173). One great difficulty with Kant’s moral philosophy is that it implies that our moral obligations leave us powerless right in the face of evil. According to Kant’s theory, we are to live up to the high ideal of conduct regardless of what others are doing. ‘Rigorism’ is a well-known example of Kant’s stand and is also termed as Kant’s concern on our duty, to tell the truth (Sullivan, 1989, pp. 174).

Personally, I agree with Penzera (2012) that lying is morally justifiable when it involves self-defense. I also side with Sullivan (1989) on the idea that we should never do something because someone is perpetuating it. Furthermore, white lies just as half-truths are equally lain. This discussion has been able to convince me that we must not always stick to honesty especially when conditions become intolerable.