Ethics: Theory and Practice

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ethics: Theory and Practice

Jacques P. Thiroux Keith W. Krasemann


Chapter Twelve

Lying, Cheating, Breaking Promises, and Stealing


Nonconsequentialist and Consequentialist Views

• Rule nonconsequentialist views are opposed to any of the four acts at any time

• Consequentialist and act nonconsequentialist views


Nonconsequentialist and Consequentialist Views

– Act nonconsequentialists would not necessarily take a stand for or against these issues unless they felt like doing so

– Consequentialist theories would accept any of the four actions if the greatest good consequences would result


Arguments Against Lying

• Lying may obscure objectives of those lied to• It may hide relevant alternatives• It causes distrust in human relationships• The Domino argument seems to have more

relevance here than it does with other moral issues, because very often one lie of necessity leads to another to protect the first, and so on


Arguments Against Lying

• Lying gives an unfair advantage or power to the liar

• Lying has a deleterious effect upon society in general


Arguments for Lying

• Lying is justified in defense of the innocent, including self-defense

• Lying is justified for reasons of national security, provided this reason is not abused

• Lying is moral when it is done in order to protect trade secrets in business

• Little white lies should be allowed as a way of getting along with others in our daily lives


Cheating

• Cheating is related to lying, in that deception and dishonesty are both being practiced, but lying generally is verbal whereas cheating is basically nonverbal


Arguments Against Cheating

• Unfair and unjust to others• Falsified qualifications for professions, for

example, will have a serious effect on everyone

• Can affect the cheater’s relationships with others


Arguments For Cheating

• The world is a dog-eat-dog jungle, one in which you must often cheat to survive and get ahead– Also, winning is everything, no matter how you do

it

• Everyone does it; therefore, why not cheat?• It’s all right to cheat, so long as you don’t get

caught


Breaking Promises

• Implied agreements such as the following allow us to live safely and meaningfully with each other in society:– Not to do harm to one another– Not to lie or cheat– To obey laws imposed for the general good– To stop at red lights and stop signs– To treat each other with respect and dignity– To keep promises we make


Breaking Promises

• Breaking promises is a form of dishonesty, as is cheating

• In earlier days, a person’s promise or word was an integral part of reputation, but now many promises or agreements have to be written down for two reasons:– They are more complex– Fewer people actually honor their agreements


Arguments Against Breaking Promises

• Breaking promises destroys human relationships

• Again, the Domino argument applies here• Breaking promises seriously affects people’s

life choices• Breaking promises destroys general social

trust• Loss of personal integrity may result


Arguments for Breaking Promises

• One should have the individual freedom to decide which promises to keep and which to break– Any rules against breaking promises are a denial

of such freedom



• Breaking promises should be allowed when more important moral issues are involved, such as protecting and saving human life

• It should be allowed when no harm is done to anyone by breaking the promise



• Promises made in unusual situations, for example, as to satisfy someone on his or her deathbed, can justifiably be broken later on, especially for good reasons

• Just as we often say, “buyer beware,” recipients of promises also should beware – they shouldn’t count on promises being kept


Stealing

• A basic assumption in most societies is that people are entitled to what they have inherited, invested, created, and earned

• Therefore, stealing generally is considered to be immoral


Arguments Against Stealing

• People have property rights, which are often considered as important or even more important than life itself

• Stealing breaks down the trust people have in one another

• Stealing constitutes a serious invasion of privacy

• The Domino argument


Arguments Against Stealing

• Stealing has destructive effects, both physical and psychological, upon victims

• Thieves themselves can be seriously affected through loss of integrity and through punishment if they are caught

• As with the other three issues, stealing also has a bad effect on society in general


Arguments For Stealing

• We live in a corrupt economic system in which the rich get richer and the poor get poorer– Sometimes the only way to achieve some sort of

balance between these inequities is to steal



• Stealing should be allowed in crucial emergency situations, such as to prevent the starvation of children

• Stealing is a way out for those who crave a life of thrills, adventure, and excitement



• It is allowable to steal from institutions and organizations because they can afford it and end up with most of our money anyway

• As with cheating, one ought to be allowed to steal as long as one doesn’t get caught



• It can be condoned when it involves stealing government and military secrets from potential or real enemies so as to protect one’s own national security

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Ethics: Theory and Practice