Topic: Ethics and Human Interface: Essence, determinants and consequences of Ethics in-human actions; dimensions of ethics.
6. Is it ethical to lie to achieve an altruistic outcome for a considerable number of people?
Difficulty level: Moderate
Why the question:
The question is part of the static syllabus of General studies paper – 4 and part of ‘Abstract Thursdays’ in Mission-2023 Secure.
Structure of the answer:
Introduction:
Define as to what constitutes a falsehood which has good outcome with an example.
Body:
In the first part, examine the nature of white lies and analyse the concept using various ethical theories and thinkers. Give examples to substantiate your arguments.
In the next part, give situations where it would be okay to use white lies and situations where white lies would not be right.
Conclusion:
Pass a balanced judgement that usage of white lies is based on situation but all lies are a form of deception. It would not be okay to justify white lies ethically unless there exist extra-ordinary circumstances.
