John Mill Why We Lie Analysis

There are various reasons why people lie, some people lie to hide information and avoid harming their loved ones even though it is more likely to bring consequences that might not be reversible. Humans by nature are scared of being judged, feeling shame, or feel some type of rejection for being who they are or by having certain believes; most of the time all we want to do is impress and make our loved ones proud of who we are. Other people lie because they feel like it is giving up control, others because control or power over others to make us feel good about themselves. Immanuel Kant and John Mill have different views on the reason why we lie. According to Kant’s concept ideals of reason do not fit very well because all human beings are not …show more content…
According to Kant, the only important action is a good will, the rest of our actions only have a conditional value. Kant thought that other people could not relate to other people actions because they cannot take the same position or act the same way in a certain scenario, where someone might be able to contain himself or would end up lying to others because he is not in a position not to. So we end up making our own decisions according to what we think is best at that moment. What makes my action wrong not only depends on what I am thinking, it also includes what others might think of my actions. Depending on our actions we end up using people as our mere means which is not a valid excuse for lying, in the heat of the moment we do what “feels right”. This argument not only shows why lying is not acceptable but that is fundamentally the worst thing you can do to others. In the view from a Kantian lying is wrong in all ways, regardless of the intention and the person who does it, this means that if one person is able to do it then everyone else could try to do the same, there are no exceptions for a Kantian. The question persists on a case when someone is being accused of murdering someone, is this person is innocent, is there a witness who saw the person murdering another, perhaps the witness is lying because he has some personal issues with the accused. Is the so called witness trying to get even with the accused by accusing him of murder? There’s where the question takes place, is it valid to lie about something just because we have certain issues with someone when this lie will end someone’s life, when we know we are the only ones who can prevent this, as we are the only ones who know the truth. How can someone live with this type of action? Is it valid to let someone die because we are selfish and irrational human