[lit-ideas] Re: When Did You Last See Your Father?
- From: Mike Geary <jejunejesuit.geary2@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 17 May 2010 08:10:04 -0500
PE:" Even though one may act
in this way, lying to the murderer is still morally wrong."
It seems to me that you stripped 'morally wrong' of all meaning. I would
say the opposite, that in certain circumstances it's moral imperative to
lie."
Mike Geary
wanting to go lie down
in Memphis
On Sun, May 16, 2010 at 9:23 PM, Phil Enns <phil.enns@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Mike Geary wrote:
>
> "If Kant was serious in his condemnation of lying for any reason, then
> the man was an idiot whose moral compass was quite shallow."
>
> It is a bit more complicated than this. In the essay that contains
> the example of lying to the murderer, Kant distinguishes between the
> moral axiom that lying is wrong and the political considerations that
> go into establishing harmony in a society based on freedom and
> equality. It seems to me that Kant wants to argue that, as a moral
> act, lying is always wrong. There are no situations that alter this
> fact. That is, no set of circumstances changes the fact that lying
> undermines our duty to truthfulness.
>
> However, Kant then goes on to distinguish between the moral axiom
> 'Always tell the truth', the manner in which this axiom is translated
> into laws for the sake of freedom and equality, and the political
> administration of these laws that aims for harmony in society. He
> understood that moral axioms cannot be directly turned into laws and
> social mores.
>
> If I were to try and develop a 'Kantian' response to the problem of
> the murderer, it would be that lying to the murderer is always wrong,
> but that for the good of society, one should act on one's duty to
> protect the innocent. In this case, 'political' considerations lead
> us to focus on the freedom of the innocent. Even though one may act
> in this way, lying to the murderer is still morally wrong.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Phil Enns
> Indonesia
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