Concept of Lying

On a “Supposed Right to Lie because of Philanthropic Concerns” Kant argues that it is never acceptable to tell a lie under any circumstances, even when lying could save someone’s life. But with a great deal of disapproval, it is argued that his ethical theory must be imperfect if it leads to an unwanted conclusion.

Although lying may be morally wrong in most cases, based on Kant’s theory, there are likely to be some situations in which lying is acceptable or even a state of being obligated.  Kant maintains that telling the truth is a perfect duty to oneself that may not be violated.

This is without doubt controversial it is effortless to think of situations where lying appears to be morally tolerable, for instance don’t we sometimes tell so called “little white lie” to avoid hurting the feelings of others.  As discussed in class, loving a gift that your partner bought you but secretly despising it, this circumstance may be regarded as a lie, and it does not seem to be morally wrong.

We also discussed examples of lies that seem to be not only morally permitted but obligatory, such as telling a lie to save someone’s life. Kant’s example involved lying to a murderer who wants to kill someone in a person’s house by telling him that his intended victim is not at home, thereby rescuing her.

If this lie would prevent the victim from death, it certainly seems as though we are required to tell it (a lie).  But Kant’s view is that the lie is morally wrong regardless of the good it might do. Because Kant thinks that “a lie always harms another” and “does harm to humanity in general, inasmuch as it vitiates the very source of right”, we cannot allow “the slightest exception” to the duty to tell the truth (426-427, 64-65).  This view surely seems severe and harsh since it does not appear to be reasonable to claim that a life-saving lie may never be told.

 The perception of lying involves intentional untruth or intentional false statement, but what are an untruthful statement and a false statement?