Why Is Lying Wrong

In the article by Christopher Robichaud, it mentions that “Kant maintained that our negative duty to not lie cannot be violated” (Robichaud 191). On the other hand, the nonconsequentialists believe that there are circumstances in which, “the duty not to deceive is trumped by other considerations” (Robichaud 191). For example, in this article it mentions that if Spider-Man was to tell Aunt May his secret he would cause tremendous pain. Enough pain that she can potentially die. In the view of a nonconsequentialists it would be argued that causing serious physical harm trumps deceiving. For this reason, lying would be considered acceptable. However, they view Clark Kent’s story to not have the same reasoning for deceiving his loved one. Clark Kent is essentially living a double life as a superhero and as a regular guy. The regular guy has a girlfriend Lois Lane, who he wants to protect by keeping his other self-hidden. This creates a problem, …show more content…
Even though, lying is morally wrong the truth may have greater damage. For example, a woman is married to a heavy drinker and her best friend dislikes that. The woman’s husband passes away from liver failure. The woman is distraught and her best friend tells her, “will he had it coming if he would have stopped drinking this would not have happened”. Even though, what the best friend is saying is correct, it is not the appropriate time. Also, it does not help comfort the friend. No good comes from her sharing her honest opinion.
On the other hand, truth can also be beneficial. In the case of a trial a witness is asked to take an oath to tell the truth. In this situation, no matter how gruesome the truth is, it should be told. Since, an oath has been taken, and most importantly, it plays a major role in the outcome of the trial. People should not lie for the sport of it. It should be taken into account what the truth will