Right is right, and wrong is wrong......
Are there"gray areas" of right and wrong? Is it OK to do something for the good of the customer/person/group, even though, technically, I'm not supposed to do it, but I know how to? Is morality subservient to expediency?
The reason I ask these questions is because things have happened at work where expediency has trumped complete, unvarnished honesty. And I feel a bit guilty, because I'm really trying to be honest with others, but I don't want them upset because I know how to do something, and don't want to inconvenience them to get them to do it for me. Kind of convoluted, but there it is.
I'm becoming aware of just how much deception there is in everyday life. No one wants to be told how fat they are, how lazy, incompetent, worthless etc. they are. They only want to be left alone to pursue their own urges/agendas. So, we rarely tell anyone the complete truth anymore. We politely say nothing of the thoughts that run through our mind when someone enters the room wearing enough cologne for 5 other people. Rather than saying "Dude, we can smell you 10 minutes after you leave the room. You wear too much cologne." , we say nothing. Isn't that a sin of omission? I am realizing that there is a fine line between being completely honest, and letting the small annoyances/pesonality quirks go.
Because, let's face it, work and home are lots easier when we don't tell the clogne dude that he stinks, that someone is too fat, or that the way a person laughs grates on your nerves, and can be heard within a 400 foot radius.
So, again, is honesty subservient to expediency and/or avoiding an uncomfortable situation? I'd appreciate your thoughts on this...
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
......Right?
Posted by Daishi at 11:12 AM
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1 comments:
Expediency is another term for utility. You're arguing for utilitarian ethics in this case. Here, in a nutshell, is utilitarianism's maxim: "The ends justify the means."
Now, think of a situation in which you know that is not the case. Congratulations! You've just refuted the expediency argument.
Seriously, though, right is always right and wrong is always wrong. What's right or wrong in a particular situation will vary, however, because the factors comprising all situations vary. If you don't need to tell someone they're fat, stink, etc., then there's no point in lying to them about it. If, on the other hand, you do need to tell them, you're not helping anyone by avoiding saying it. The trick is in determining whether you need to say it or not.
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