Lying Essay
Jacob Alcala
Period 5
Lying: Good or Bad
There are many different situations in which people lie and it’s not just kids who lie, even adults do sometimes. Lying is part of everyday life in our society. Many people think lying is never ok, but I think lying is ok sometimes. I believe lying is ok when you are protecting someone from emotional or physical harm, and I will give arguments to support my opinion. My first argument on when to lie, is when you want to protect someone from being emotionally harmed. Article one paragraph eleven gives the example of a fictional spouse about to accept a Nobel Prize and they ask if they look fat. “If you’re on your way to the ceremony, you say, `You look fabulous,’” Randy Cohen instructs. This example shows how you might want to respond to keep your spouse from getting their feelings hurt before a positive moment in their life. My second argument on when lying is ok, is when you want to protect someone from physical harm. In Article one paragraph ten Cohen says, “Not only is lying justified, it is sometimes a moral duty. An obvious example is when you are lying to protect someone from harm.” For example, when a stranger comes up to you and asks where you live, so you tell them a lie to protect your family from physical harm. Some people say that lying is never justified and always comes at a cost. That cost may be to your credibility and character. In Article one paragraph twelve Cohen says, “Every lie has a cost… One key cost is your credibility: Once a person finds out you lied, you lose currency in their eyes.” Another example is in Article two paragraph three where it says, “Kant takes the duty of truthfulness to be a `duty which holds in all circumstances.’ A lie, even if it does not wrong any particular individual, always harms mankind individually.” Their evidence isn’t valid because I don’t think telling a lie to protect someone will harm your credibility or character. Lying is only ok if the truth will cause harm
Period 5
Lying: Good or Bad
There are many different situations in which people lie and it’s not just kids who lie, even adults do sometimes. Lying is part of everyday life in our society. Many people think lying is never ok, but I think lying is ok sometimes. I believe lying is ok when you are protecting someone from emotional or physical harm, and I will give arguments to support my opinion. My first argument on when to lie, is when you want to protect someone from being emotionally harmed. Article one paragraph eleven gives the example of a fictional spouse about to accept a Nobel Prize and they ask if they look fat. “If you’re on your way to the ceremony, you say, `You look fabulous,’” Randy Cohen instructs. This example shows how you might want to respond to keep your spouse from getting their feelings hurt before a positive moment in their life. My second argument on when lying is ok, is when you want to protect someone from physical harm. In Article one paragraph ten Cohen says, “Not only is lying justified, it is sometimes a moral duty. An obvious example is when you are lying to protect someone from harm.” For example, when a stranger comes up to you and asks where you live, so you tell them a lie to protect your family from physical harm. Some people say that lying is never justified and always comes at a cost. That cost may be to your credibility and character. In Article one paragraph twelve Cohen says, “Every lie has a cost… One key cost is your credibility: Once a person finds out you lied, you lose currency in their eyes.” Another example is in Article two paragraph three where it says, “Kant takes the duty of truthfulness to be a `duty which holds in all circumstances.’ A lie, even if it does not wrong any particular individual, always harms mankind individually.” Their evidence isn’t valid because I don’t think telling a lie to protect someone will harm your credibility or character. Lying is only ok if the truth will cause harm