The Ends Cannot Justify the Means

If you must justify your actions by the ends they achieve then your actions are immoral.

When we tell a fat person they look trim or tell our spouses that a bad hair do looks good we typically justify it to ourselves by saying that we don't want to hurt their feelings.  After all, the little white lie doesn't really hurt them.  Or does it?

All lies hurt

Even little white lies hurt people.  They hurt a person in tangible ways - like a loss of respect.  If a tough, gnarled rancher from Texas asked you if they looked ok in their business suit or tux you'd answer them honestly.  That's because you know that their ego won't be bruised by an honest critique.  When you lie to your spouse about how they look you are making the statement that their ego is fragile.

The real reason you tell a little white lie may simply be because you are too lazy to actually assess or too lazy to have a conversation about your critique.  Either way you are making unspoken statements about yourself and the other person that everyone present is aware of.

You do people a disservice when you lie to them - big or small it doesn't matter.  For those people out there that really can't take an honest critique - learn to take an honest critique or don't ask the question.  Asking a question where you expect someone to lie to you is doing that person harm as well.

We justify little white lies in a variety of ways but it is still immoral to lie and does real harm to both you and the recipient.

Would torture be acceptable if:

1. the person knew where a WMD was and when it would go off and refused to tell?
2. the person had raped and killed several children, had one hostage and you knew the child would die if you didn't find them soon?
3. the person was a known rapist and you wanted a confession?
4. the person is Bernie Madoff and they've stolen billions from people through a scam?

The point I'm driving at is that if there is a number on that list where you stop answering that turtore is acceptable then it really isn't acceptable for any of them.  Torture is wrong and that is why the use of torture always requires a justification.

In the case of the WMD, I would argue that torturing the person is immoral.  The cost of letting a WMD go off is too high to risk though so you make a judgment call as to the best way to obtain the necessary information.  Maybe it's torture maybe it isn't.  Either way, having tortured someone to obtain that information has left a stain on your soul.  Something you and your conscience will have to deal with.

Principled behavior doesn't need justifying.  Defending yourself against a bully doesn't require an explanation as to why you defended yourself.  Giving money to the poor or food to the hungry doesn't require justification.  Telling you spouse she looks fat may require an explanation but not moral justification.