CHEATING AND LYING

Ethics and Morale

Prepared by: Maliwat, Regina F., 2FM4

CHEATING

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

1. To act dishonestly or unfairly in order to gain an advantage, esp. in a game or examination 2. To deceive or trick.

ARGUMENTS FOR CHEATING

Surviving and Winning

-many people who condone cheating regard the world and society as a dog -eat-dog jungle where one can survive only by using corrupt means such as cheating. They believe that alls fair in love and war and anything else and that people should cheat if necessary to get what they want and need. Such people see the world as so competitive and ruthless that in order to survive, one may have to break all the moral dos and donts and lie, break promises, and even steal if it will get them ahead.

ARGUMENTS FOR CHEATING

Everybody Does It
-right along with the dog -eat-dog theory is the everybody does it argument. This assumes that because most people probably cheat at some time in their lives, everyone is justified in also doing so necessary. The argument further says that its commonly known that all people cheat on their income taxes, on insurance claims by including other earlier damages, on expense vouchers, in golf games, and on their wives or husbands.

ARGUMENTS FOR CHEATING

-one problem with this attitude is that it is questionable whether most people do not mean that people ought to do them. History reveals that even the majority can be morally wrong, so everybody does it is not a very supportable or justifiable argument for doing something.

ARGUMENTS FOR CHEATING

As long as you dont get Caught

- Many argue that cheating is all right if you can get away with it. Being caught is whats bad, not cheating. And the less chance you have of being caught, the more justified your cheating will be. This attitude could work with Consequentialist theories, being caught or not has nothing to do with whether an action is right or wrong. Only if you can show that greater good consequences can come from cheating could you justify it in any way.

LYING

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

1.marked by or containing falsehoods : FALSE <a lying account of the accident 2. dishonest; untruthful

ARGUMENTS AGAINST LYING

Dupes and Deprives others

-it misinforms the people lied to and thus may frustrate them from reaching their own objectives. example: A wife and mother of two children wants to stay home with her children, but her husband says he is going to school and wants her to take a job so that he can continue. After a month, he decides not to stay in school and drops out but tells his wife he is still attending.

ARGUMENT AGAINST LYING

- By so lying, he has thwarted her wish to stay home and raise their children. His lying has not only blocked his wifes objective but has also deprived his children of their mothers care.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST LYING

Causes Distrust in Human Relationships

- Another major argument against lying is that it causes a breakdown in human relationships. If you think about it, human relationships are at their best when people can trust each other. - most ethicists who do not support lying feel that we should be able to proceed on the positive assumption that we can trust, not on the negative one that we cannot. - A different atmosphere exists when human relationships are approached negatively rather than positively.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST LYING

- Lying not only causes distrust, but also resentment, disappointment, and suspicion in the deceived.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST LYING

The Domino Argument

e.g. Refusing to tell dying patients about their condition, a situation is set up in which many other lies must follow so as to back up the first. - It might be argued that lying will make the patients try harder to recover (even if may not be possible), and that their true condition will only depress them and make communication with them harder in their last days terrible. The initial lie will seem reasonable in this setting.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST LYING

- however, if patients ask any serious questions about their condition, then more lies may have to be told then. Precautions must be taken to prevent any information or even hints from leaking through to disrupt the growing web of lies that began innocently enough as a way of providing protection for the dying patient.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST LYING

Unfair Advantage or Power for Liars

- Another argument against lying is that because most liars do not themselves wish to be deceived, to deceive others gives liars an unfair advantage. This violates the Principle of Justice.

Example: (Othello-Shakespeare) Iago, Othellos aide, weaves one of the most insidious webs of lies ever seen in drama and literature, By the end of the play, Iago has not only controlled Othellos every move but also caused the death of Othellos wife, Desdemona, about whom most of the lies were concocted, and the injury and death of several others, including Othello himself. The power Iago has over most of the people in the play is almost unbelievable, and all of it is attained through his diabolical cleverness of many deceptions.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST LYING

Self-destructiveness of Lying
- A major disadvantage of lying is that once liars are found out, their word is no longer trusted, their deceptions fall apart, and their power is decreased or lost. - Another effect (accdg. to proponents of this argument) is that lying undermines ones self -image. In other words, liars lose self-esteem because of their deceptions, and the more often these occur, the greater the loss.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST LYING

Effect of Lying on Society

- Bok assesses the general overall effect of lying on society as follows: The veneer of social trust is often thin. As lies spread. . . Trust is damaged. . . When it is damaeged, the community as a whole suffers, and when it is destroyed, societies falter and collapse.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST LYING

e.g. (self-destruction and lying on society) In the US, former president Nixon was found guilty towards his dishonesty at the Watergate Affair. Trust in politicians and lawyers fell to a new low; his publicity was destroyed; and worst, the whole society lost faith in their leader.

ARGUMENTS FOR LYING

Defense of the Innocent, Including Self-defense

- Bok said, Deceit and violence. . . Are the two forms of deliberate assault on human beings. Both can coerce people into acting against their will. In most circumstances however, ethicists deem lying to be less harmful to human life than violence, especially when the latter terminates human life. Example: A wartime situation in which a member of the underground knows where other members are hiding. He would be justified in lying about their whereabouts rather than risking their capture and death.

ARGUMENTS FOR LYING

National Security
- Many ethicists argue for lying in order to maintain national security, and act that certainly may protect many innocent people.

Example: A woman spying for her countrys security.

- Presidents and other members of the government sometimes state that they cannot reveal certain important information to the press or public because it would endanger national security: Such people certainly should have some discretion in revealing information that would seriously affect national security, but they must be very careful not to abuse this right in order to protect their own self-interest.

ARGUMENTS FOR LYING

Trade Secrets in Business

- Ethicists favoring lying might argue that businesspeople may lie justifiably, either by omission or commission, rather than reveal vital trade secrets to their competitors. If they leak their trade secrets, how would they profit and contribute to the economy?

ARGUMENTS FOR LYING

Little White Lies

- Many people, including ethicists, allow for unimportant or harmless little white lies, which are told to avoid hurting peoples feelings or to protect those lying from embarrassment. The arguments for these are that people need to have leeway in social intercourse and daily activities in order to keep things running smoothly.

ARGUMENTS FOR LYING

Example: A woman asks another how an expensive new dress looks on her. The other woman says, The dress looks Fine, but was reluctant.
- The woman said the dress looks fine, even if she doesnt really think so. White liars usually uses this tactful way to avoid hurting peoples feelings and save the liars some embarrassment.

ARGUMENTS FOR LYING

- People argue that in getting alone in the world, lying sometimes can maintain the social veneer rather that crack it, as is advocated by the people who argue against lying. - Rather than hurting someone or suffering embarrassment, and as long as no serious harm is done, its all right to lie to prevent either from happening.

MODERATE POSITION

Advocates that, generlly, one should avoid lying if possible and lie only as the last resort or clearly to save a life. This viewpoint is well expressed by the old saying Honestly is the best Policy. Moderates feel that lying is a serious matter, however little or white the lie is. Moderates agree with those opposed to lying that the domino argument makes sensethat the more you lie, the easier to do so, and the cycle continues again and again to another and another.

MODERATE POSITION

Moderates feel that:

1. If people do choose to lie, they must try to make the consequences of their lying harmless as possible 2. People should try to avoid harmful lying and be aware of the risks of telling even one lie or a white lie. 3. People should also be aware that lying may have a deleterious effect not only upon the deceived but also upon the deceiver. 4. People should never lie about important matters that may affect the recipient of the lie significantly. 5. Lying is allowed when there is no other recourse, and when innocent life is really at stake.

RESOURCES

ETHICS: Theory and Practice by Thiroux, Jacques P. Boston : Pearson, c2012 UST Library