RE: What is worse, lying when you have to justify your action or not giving any answer?
March 17, 2019 at 2:14 pm
(This post was last modified: March 17, 2019 at 2:16 pm by Brian37.)
(March 17, 2019 at 2:05 pm)Der/die AtheistIn Wrote: There are situations in life when when it's better to lie. For instance if you are an atheist child living in a household that doesn't tolerate atheists, or you are living in a country that gives severe punishments if you don't follow certain rules.
But what about non dangerous situations? If someone asks someone else why the latter is doing a certain thing, would it be worse to give a false reason or not to give any reason at all?
This is too broad of a question.
Humans lie, even just to spare someone's feelings as an act of empathy.
You'd have to give a specific example.
Madoff's lies cost investors 40 billion dollars, so in that context lying was bad. Hitler's lies cost the lives of 6 million Jews and 50 million civilians and military worldwide.
But one common example I've seen before would be an example of a good lie. Say you have an abused friend, whom you are giving refuge in your house, and the abuser knocks on the door, and asks you if you have seen your friend, the victim and you respond "No".. In that case the lie would be perfectly justified. Oscar Shndler lied to the Nazis to save Jews, so in that contest his lies were good.
But common non dangerous lies would be things like, talking about food or movies you like but the family member or friend does not, in that context simply nodding is fine if you don't want a fight.
Point is "it depends". Context of the specific situation in regard to non dangerous lies.
