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When is Lying Acceptable?
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When is Lying Acceptable?
We are told this since our childhood about the morality of honestly. The idea that honesty
is the best policy is driven home by severe punishment for lying, such as suspension from school
or being fired from a job, to even perjury charges. Even the subtler consequences of lying, in the
form of loss of trust or loss of opportunity, drive home this very important point of honesty. The
discussion, however, probes into the subtle reality that there are situations in which lying might
not only be acceptable but also necessary. Lying is acceptable where the guarantee of protection
from harm, the retention or preservation of important relationships, and social harmony are
ensured.
Protection from Harm
Another key scenario that people deem acceptable to lie is when it can help spare another
person from danger or a similar misfortune. This can be as mild as feeling uncomfortable with
the end user’s feelings towards them to a severe case where their lives are in danger. For instance
if telling the truth that a certain person is at a remote place would endanger his/her life since
there are people who harm those they have grudges against, a lie to protect such a person is
acceptable. Likewise, doctors may decide to keep secrets from the patients because the patient
may not need it during the period of sickness, and therefore it has to be revealed to them after
some time when the patient is comfortable to handle it (BBC – ethics, nd). In such cases, the lie
becomes something that people feel they need to tell in order to protect themselves and the given
situation over enforcing the reality over telling the truth.
Preservation of Relationships
Lying can also be acceptable to sustain interpersonal relationships, they cannot be
completely ruled out. In times where people interact with others whom they are intimately
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related with, it is right to tell a lie, which is in most cases is called ‘white lie. ’ For example,
deception of a friend that his or her cookery was good even when it was bad can catch feelings of
incompetence and hence sustains the friendship (Dunbar et al. , 2016). In the context of
workplace related communication, a manager might decide to give feedback subtly to motivate
the worker rather than demotivate by telling a certain truth. These lies are insignificant but help
sustain social interactions through a means of not disrupting relationships and keeping the setting
happy.
Maintenance of Social Harmony
Finally, lying can also be justified for the purpose of maintaining harmony in
interpersonal relations. get many small socially bend lies are integral to society and often keep
social structures functioning amicably. For example, politeness is founded on such untruths as ‘I
am all right’ when in fact you are not, or ‘Yes, I am interested in this tale’ when in fact, you are
bored out of your wits. Saying lies are ways of making people’s social interactions encumber-
free and simple, these untruths contribute to smoothening the conduits of social interaction as
individuals go about their daily lives (Guthrie, 2014). Furthermore, in diplomacy, it is sometimes
necessary to tell a lie, for the sake of avoiding wars and keeping the nations and the world safe
all over the globe. Here, it becomes justified that the lie is for the good of society or in general
the pursuit of social order.
Conclusion
Thus, although honesty is still one of the highest values, there are moments when lying is
not only permissible but also necessary. Rescuing a person from an unsafe situation, saving a
relationship that is valuable for both people, and preventing conflict in a community are some of
the scenarios where the truth is not worth as much as the outcome of concealing the truth.
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Knowing and identifying these situations helps them guide how individuals can interact and
ensure that the things they do, say, and even hide, even if it is the truth, are constructive.
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References
BBC - ethics - lying. (n.d.). https://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/lying/lying_1.shtml#:~:text=Lying
%20under%20serious%20threat,-Lying%20under%20serious&text=The%20reasons
%20why%20we%20think,prevent%20irreversible%20harm%20being%20done
Dunbar, Norah & Gangi, Katlyn & Coveleski, Samantha & Adams, Aubrie & Bernhold, Quinten
& Giles, Howard. (2016). When Is It Acceptable to Lie? Interpersonal and Intergroup
Perspectives on Deception. Communication Studies. 67. 1-18.
10.1080/10510974.2016.1146911.
Guthrie, Jennifer & Kunkel, Adrianne. (2014). Lying as norm in social interactions.
