The Pros and Cons of Government Lying By: Diana Calle, Kristen Wolfe, Stephanie Ulloa, Adis Kucevic & Davone Lancaster First Year Seminar Philosophy 102 IntroducGon to Ethics Professor Genevieve LaForge Introduction
Positive Outcomes
Lying is a controversial concept. There are those who believe lying is unacceptable. They believe we should live in a society where honesty is the best policy. This is reasonable because being able to believe in someone’s promises and word allows people to trust one another. However, there are certain circumstances in which we feel it is necessary to lie in order to protect the greater number of people. When arguing whether or not the government should lie to it's own ciGzens, UGlitarianism provides us with an understanding that lying can be morally correct. According to UGlitarianism, any acGons that are commiVed can be morally right as long as the consequence provides benefits to the many and does liVle or no harm towards others. When we see that acGons that the government takes such as lying does cause harm to people, it can sGll be acceptable as long as the benefits produced outweigh the damage that it has caused. Social Contract Theory
Hobbes believes the Social Contract has a big influence in our daily lives. The social contract theory explains the purpose of morality and government. Hobbes explains how morality makes social living possible and gives government the responsibility to enforce moral rules. Hobbes believes violaGng the social contract can lead to a State of Nature, a harmful society with no rules or regulaGons. This will also lead to a State of War where we would keep compeGng with one another to obtain what we want and need. Conclusion
EX: President Obama ulGmately withheld informaGon when he did not tell Americans about the whereabouts of terrorist Osama Bin Laden unGl arer he was killed. This is viewed as acceptable because it protected the ciGzens. If word had goVen out that the U.S. had knowledge about Osama's whereabouts, then he would have probably fled and this would have led to many more terrorist aVacks and deaths. The quesGon about government lying being right or wrong is debatable. There are many viewpoints from both sides of the argument that can aVest to this quesGon. Some say it is understandable when the government lies to protect the well being of the ciGzens while others believe that the government should be honest with ciGzens no maVer what the situaGon is. Now ask yourself… Is it wrong for the government to lie to the people? References
Ethics UGlitarian Ethics. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2014 Golway, Terry. No Ques(ons, Please. 8/18/2003, Vol. 189 Issue 4, p7-­‐7. Negative Outcomes
Philosopher Sissela Bok claims lying to someone is, “making them believe in something we ourselves do not believe.” Bok does not jusGfy lying in any terms, because to live together in a society we must tell the truth to each other about such basic maVers as sources of food or of danger. Bok believes that a society that lacks honesty and truthful messages would collapse. If lying is acceptable during an emergency, people would lack sympathy and trust. EX: Former President George Bush gave a speech to the country regarding Iraq and its leader Saddam Hussein. He told us Iraq had weapons of mass destrucGon and that Saddam was also trying to buy uranium. Arer sending U.S. troops into Iraq, it was later discovered that none of those claims were true, and that the government put us into a war that could have easily been avoided. The people were furious and Bush refused to talk about it. The people became more confused and angry because the war had lead to many deaths and the money used for the war came from their taxes. Lying in this situaGon was uncalled for and created very serious problems
Pasquerella L, Killilea A. The Ethics of Lying in the Public Interest. Public Integrity [serial online]. Summer2005 2005;7(3):261-­‐273 Rachels James and Rachels Stuart. Elements of Moral Philosophy. Sixth ediGon Sissela Bok Lying: Moral Choice in Private and Public Life (1978)