Is Lying An Ethical Issue

Lying has always been an ethical issue contested on a case by case basis as to whether or not an ethical issue is created by the lie. An ethical issue exists whenever an individual or group must make choice regarding issues that they know will be right, or wrong; ethical, or unethical. A major ethical issue that I have faced as an individual was a major lie regarding my condition in sixth and eighth grades. In sixth grade, at the very beginning of the year, I began having panic attacks in school, which would require me to randomly leave class. I was later diagnosed with anxiety, and prescribed medication that would help to minimize the effects of the anxiety and curtail the panic attacks. However, because these panic attacks were rather severe, …show more content…
Relationships are built on a foundation of trust, and so most any reasonable person would assume that a reasonable statement made by a friend would be truthful in nature. It was for this reason that when I did tell my fellow students that I had a stomach ulcer, a completely reasonable statement given my random and sporadic absences and long medical leave, they all believed me without question. Several ethical issues arise in this situation, and each shall be explored in turn. Is lying ever ethically just? Yes. According to an article written for the British Broadcasting Corporation (Henceforth, BBC), many individuals and philosophers do believe that lying can be ethically just in some circumstances, and even warranted on occasion. These types of acceptable lies though are generally limited to white lies where the stakes of the lie are very low, or lies that are employed to prevent even worse moral or ethical problems, such as lying to save someone's life. In my case the perceived benefit of the lie was that it would prevent me from having to discuss my condition which could have triggered a panic attack, or cause my friend to treat me differently than they would have had they known the truth, because they would not have understood my condition at the time. It is very important to note that in sixth grade most, if not all, kids are still in the third of Kohlberg's stages of moral development, meaning that they are focused on being seen as good, and be accepted by others, and actions are judged with regards to the approval of others (McLeod). This was certainly my perspective in not wanting others to treat me as though there was something wrong with