Lying Moral Choice And Private Life - 2089 Words

When Sissela Bok first began her study of falsehood and truthfulness, she discovered a plethora of historical works devoted to the ethics of lying, whereas her contemporaries rarely even broached the subject. This distinct silence led her on a personal exploration into the world of deception, which resulted in her 1978 book, Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life. Since the publication, lying has again become a popular topic of conversation, from the Monica Lewinsky scandal in 1998 to the IRS targeting controversy in 2013. Yet her goal in writing the book remains the same. She does not seek to prescribe the ultimate and final conclusion on lying. Instead, Bok attempts to bridge the divide between the moral philosopher and the common man, who is daily confronted with the need to make moral choices. She fulfills this task, but in the process, rejects the need for a general ruling principle, which endangers the individuals and societies she hopes to support. Bok does not espouse any extreme view on lying, however, she does seek to illuminate the consequences associated with lying, in hopes of decreasing its frequency in discourse within the public and private realms. On the outset of her book, Bok presents the definition of a lie. After reviewing a variety of definitions, she rejects some for being too broad, i.e., encompassing facial expressions and body language, and other definitions for being too narrow, i.e., excluding white lies and the such. Ultimately, sheShow MoreRelatedLying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life1205 Words   |  5 Pagesresort to lying in certain situation. Often times a lawyer will lie in order to protect his client, or vice versa, a client will tell a lie in order to avoid being incarnated. There are many situations an individual will be placed in, and at some point in a person’s life they will need to tell a lie. Is it appropriate to lie? This is what Sissela Bok writes about in Lying: Moral choice in Public and Pri vate Life. Bok acknowledges that despite numerous religious and moral statements against lying, peopleRead MoreShould We Legislate Morality? Essay896 Words   |  4 Pagesof separation between Church and State, and I think rightly so. Church and State should only be united in a theocracy America is not one of those and could not become one without changing the character of the nation. However, I am aware that the moral basis for the tradition of English law that the U.S. legislative and judicial systems are deeply rooted in, are based on essentially Christian principles. As I think that morality without Christ is ultimately empty, then to legislate true moralityRead MoreThere Can Be No Lying in Medicine Essay951 Words   |  4 Pagesharms them (227) in her article â€Å"Lying to the Sick and Dying†. 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This is different from lying because lying is saying something that is wrong and knowing that it is wrong but still saying it anyway. For example lets say you broke a vase. When your mother asks you who broke the vase and you say the dog did it that would be lying. The reason it is not doublethink is that you do not believeRead MorePersuasive Essay On Euthanasia973 Words   |  4 Pagesgoe s against people’s morals. In both situations, the patient is willingly taking their life, which is deemed wrong by the members of society. That being said, the Bible was written countless years ago when they didn’t have terminal illnesses, such as cancer. In those days, people would live to be about 150 years old, whereas now they only live to be an average of 75 years old. This change is caused by the chemicals that we put in our food and our lack of healthy choices. For example, approximately