Does the End Justify the Means - 1267 Words

Lesley Rawlins The end justifies the means The end justifies the means is an expression that is often used in society to validate or excuse distasteful and objectionable actions undertaken by its people. In effect, the phrase is a justification for dispensing with all morality and principle in the passage towards a successful conclusion. The Greek writer Sophocles wrote in Electra 409 BC â€Å"the end excuses any evil. This was a thought later considered, by the Roman poet Ovid, ‘the result justifies the deed (c. 10 B.C.). In simpler terms, anything is reasonable if it leads to a significant and meaningful outcome. The term has been used to explain actions and behaviours ranging from cheating to pass an exam, stealing to†¦show more content†¦Zimbardo’s prison experiment at Stanford University was a study on what the psychological effects of becoming a prisoner or prison guard was on the individual. Zimbardo wanted to investigate whether the cruelty reported among guards in American prisons was due to the aggressive personalities of the guards or the prison environment itself. Twenty-four well adjusted undergraduates were selected out of over 75 to play the roles of both guards and prisoners. The guards were permitted to devise most of the rules. A third of the guards exhibited â€Å"genuine sadistic tendencies,† and subjected the prisoners to torture. After the initial rebellion most of the prisoners stopped opposing the guards lo sing their personal identity and self-belief. Zimbardo’s research demonstrated that people can behave uncharacteristically when placed, in new social or physical roles and adopt the attitude and behaviour of their perceived roles, in some cases particularly zealously. The argument that ‘anything is reasonable if it leads to a significant and meaningful outcome’ ignores the moral and ethical questioning of the method and the use of this principle to countenance experimentation is debatable All the studies outlined, involved a degree of deception and can be criticized for the lack of informed consent. Examples of which include; Milgram’s volunteers believedShow MoreRelatedDoes The Ends Justify The Means?1597 Words   |  7 PagesDoes the Ends Justify the Means? To answer questions such as ‘Does the Ends Justify the Means?’ is complex. Should we unconditionally accept this doctrine? I believe this cannot be answered unequivocally yes or no because it will depend on the situation and the role in which this concept is being considered. This essay will explain the doctrine of the ends justifies the means while showing examples of both positive and negative application outcomes. This should allow readers to gain a better understandingRead MoreDoes The End Justify The Means?951 Words   |  4 Pagespeople have heard of the question, â€Å"does the end justify the means?†, but what does it mean? This question can be answered on both sides as yes it does justify and no it does not justify the means. It all depends on the situation in hand. Were the steps to achieve the end good or bad? If the steps to the end were good then it justifies but if it was bad then it does not justify. So the answer to the question would be depending on the means to get there and the end results. There had been many incidentsRead MoreDoes the End Justify the Means?739 Words   |  3 Pagesresponse to the question, Does the end justify the means? Give examples of when the ends justifies the means and when it doesnt. Post your response as a reply to this topic. Read others responses and feel free to comment on others threads and have an open discussion. The ends justifying the means is extremely difficult to generalize. The answer is much more complex than a simple yes or no. Quite often, if not most of the time, the end does not justify the means. But sometimes it can happenRead MoreMorality And The Moral Theories1137 Words   |  5 PagesMeaning of the phrases ï ¿ ½the ends justifies the means’ The phrase ï ¿ ½the ends justifies the means’ is a very popular in many fields and is also used in our day to day living. However, it is more used when talking about morality issues whereby it means that the morality of an action or behavior depends entirely on the result of that action and not the behavior or action itself. This is phrase that can be viewed different by proponent of different moral theories. A consequentialist theorist will agreeRead MoreAssessment of a Statement Essay1102 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"the end justifies the means† is not morally defensible. It will explore the implications of the statement itself, the rudiments of the social contract, the principles of Machiavelli and solid empirical evidence. The belief that the end entirely justifies the means is merely an extreme version of the commonly held belief that moral considerations cannot apply to the means except in relation to ends, or that the latter have a moral priority. Gandhi wrote, â€Å"The means mayRead MoreThe Ethics Principle Around The Idea Of Pleasure By John Mill And Jeremy Bentham766 Words   |  4 Pages rights, and the laws are commonly guarded and sacred. The theory states that the end does not automatically justify the means, especially if they require breaking an important rule, right, or law. The utilitarian theory states that if given a number of alternatives, you should choose the one that will be of most benefit to the greatest number. The theory revolves around the concept of the end justifies the means. The theory was introduced by philosophers John Mill and Jeremy Bentham. The theoristRead MoreJack Harkness, A Time Traveler847 Words   |  4 Pagesmorality. We in 2015 would commonly recognize this idea as â€Å"the ends justify the means†. This idea has raised questions and scenarios that continually push the bound of morality. Should you be a government whistleblower? Is it acceptable to sacrifice your grandchild or any child to save the world? We never have the same answer to these questions. Certain are yes and others are no, but never all yes or all no, because the ends do justify the means when the goal’s positive benefits to society outweigh theRead MoreThe Bookdock Saints : Moral Dilemma1427 Words   |  6 Pagestwo mobsters were beat by the two main characters of the movie, Connor and Murphy, who are brothers. The Russian mobsters had been humiliated by the brothers in a bar fight and followed the brothers to where they were staying only to be on the losing end once again. It is determined by the police that the brothers acted in self defense and they are allowed to go free. In the first couple scenes it is revealed that the main moral dilemma of the movie will be whether or not the brothers are justifiedRead MoreSociety s Moral Stance On Killing And Violence1409 Words   |  6 Pagesimmoral act to commit. We see this reflected in pop culture, with comic book superheroes. While criminals kill others and break laws to achieve their ends, superheroes generally avoid killing or the very least view killing as immoral. An unusual case is Marvel’s The Punisher. He does not consider himself a criminal or a hero, rather he only does what he thinks is necessary, to make the earth a better place; however, society views him as a hero. Generally, only mainstream superheroes get to playRead MoreThe War On Drugs And Drugs808 Words   |  4 Pagesrights) might be linked to what is sometimes called noble-cause corruption. Rather than a purely egoistic form of corruption, noble cause corruption occurs when police officers violate ethical and legal obligations in the interest of achieving the â€Å"good† ends of police work. Getting the â€Å"bad guys† and protecting communities and potential victims are seen as more important than ethical and procedural restrictions on police conduct. Planting evidence at a crime scene, for instance, may result in the apprehension