Kant's Metaphysics Of Lying Essay

When asked about the standpoint of lying, to many the response would be that it is wrong and should not be done. Immanuel Kant, a German philosopher of the 1700’s, brought forward the topic of lying in his writing titled “Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals.” The main evidence that he uses for multiple topics is the Categorical Imperative which is where all of our duties are coming from. The Categorical Imperative states that all human beings must act on maxims that can be universal laws for everyone. Among the many assertions he makes, he concludes that lying is wrong with a multitude of premises. John Stuart Mill, a British philosopher of the 1800’s, also tackled the topic of lying in his writing “Utilitarianism.” He agrees that lying is wrong, but for a

I agree with Kant as lying can’t be made a universal law amongst different societies, but that standpoint is not as definitive as it could be. There are multiple different societies that use different law systems and guidelines, so to indirectly claim that another society is irrational because their practices are different than yours is not conclusive. In digression, not all societies should be placed at the same stature in terms of internal practices and lying could possibly fit within this. Mill is concerned with lying as a rule. I also agree that lying as a rule could present an absurdity, but lying as a possible casual practice may prove to be beneficial. The idea of your grandparent laying on their deathbed is depressing for both the child and the grandparent. So if the doctors tell you that she only has two hours to live, then I’m sure that you would want to preserve that time and attempt to make it the best time of their life. It may be beneficial to lie in this case to the dying person and in turn, I feel that the most possible amount of happiness would be a result of