The end justifies the means idioms by the free dictionary. How does the church reconcile her teaching that the end doesnt justify the means with her allowance for self defense and just war. In the prince, machiavelli is clearly warned against any attempt to turn what is, because machiavellis philosophy comes from the nature of men. In the example of an officer inflicting pain to apprehend a violent suspect, it isnt that the end justifies the evil means, but rather, the means isnt even evil to begin with.
If the end goal is righteous enough, few elected leaders can withstand the flawed reasoning that it doesnt. If you have one ai in a society of humans, that does bring in other considerations, like whether the humans learn from your example. This perception is the sum of the means, not the end they enable. Is there a name for the expression the end justifies the. Most men and women are geniuses when it comes to justifying our behavior. Doesnt that make volkswagon a causality, because it appears that everyone believes the end justifies the means.
The end justifies the means is used to say that doing bad things is acceptable if they achieve an important result. However, some philosophers argue that we should not limit our ethical consideration to the interests of human beings alone. When a person says the ends justify the means they are saying that if the end result is noble enough, it will justify whatever measures are taken to achieve that goal. Hence, the prince must take into account the actual realities.
It doesnt allow for the kind of moderation that aristotle would choose for his pragmatic ethics. There are also more complex cases where the ends may justify. We can rationalize any action if the motivation for the goal is strong enough. To say that corrupt means corrupt the ends is to believe in the immaculate conception of ends and principles. The end justifies the means is a phrase which means that, if you have a goal, it does not matter how you reach it, as long as you reach it. Home essay samples philosophy human nature the end doesnt justify the means the end doesnt justify the means human nature is naturally focused on outcomes.
So many horrible things are suggested in the name of the greater good. This question has been asked for millennia, with the resulting answers rarely perfect in their finite form. A machiavellian perspective a characteristic behavior in todays society is the belief that the ends justifies the means. What does the end justifies the means mean answers. Who coined the political philosophy the end justifies the. We can deal with a difficult, sad story if it has a happy ending. He is also known as the father of modern political philosophy. The problem arises in these theories because they tend to separate the achieved ends from the action by which these ends were produced.
His poem does contain a line that can be translated as the result justifies the deed or the ends justify the means. If getting the job by lying makes the higher end impossible, that end doesnt justify that means. Certain acts are intrinsically unloving and simply cant fit into a life lived entirely for god, so theyre always wrong no matter what. Why the end doesnt justify the means, but the means can always justify the end. Machiavelli never wrote, the end justifies the means. Does the end really justifies the means yahoo answers. But the end does not justify the means when a survivor is revictimized. He was a witness in the murder of constance courte.
You cannot break the rules or do anything bad in order to reach your goal. It would seem to me that the ends do indeed justify the means, and i will explain why. End justifies the means, the definition at, a free online dictionary with pronunciation, synonyms and translation. The end justifies the means definition is used to say that a desired result is so good or important that any method, even a morally bad one, may be used to achieve it. The end can never justify the means seems too certain and moralistic. Why is the end justifies the means a problem answers.
It doesn t allow for the kind of moderation that aristotle would choose for his pragmatic ethics. I said earlier that objections to ends justifying means call attention to higher ends. Here we see why the philosophy the ends justify the means sprang into existence. There is a fundamental philosophy underlying much of what goes on in the world today. Basically it means that as long as you are trying to achieve something good the end it doesnt matter what you do to get there.
The worse part is that the greater goal is often can be reach by less violent means. It is indeed right to inflict a just amount of force and punishment to those who by their behaviour, necessitate the force and punishment levied upon them. The result doesnt need always be goodit must be important. Typically, this quote is misinterpreted as any action, no matter how unethical or immoral, can be justified for the purpose of any reasonable or needed outcome. There has been so many horrible things done in the name of the greater good. Aristotle means was a teacher at themis legal academy known for his belief that the end justifies the means. The end does not justify the means is about about it never being justified to do an evil to achieve a good end.
There are many such examples of ends justify the means. The phrase the end justifies the means is used to suggest that any activity, whether or not that activity could be considered ethically or morally bad, is worth it so long as a desired end result is achieved. What is the meaning of the end does not justify the means. It gives us an excuse to do something we know is not right. For example, if your goal is to save lives, its okay to cheat, steal, and lie to accomplish your goal. The end does not justify the means huffpost canada. Are both parties employing an ends justifies the means philosophy.
It usually implies that a moral goal may be achieved by. If the goals are good and noble, and the means we use to achieve them are also good and noble, then yes, the ends do justify the means. The means people create distinctions among means and call it morality. Jan 02, 2017 the end doesn t justify the means nv atcepimperial. Niccolo machiavelli never said, the ends justify the means, although he did allude to a complex version of the concept in his prince and other works. For example, some students i have taught justified lying on their resume because it. According to the stanford encyclopedia of philosophy, mohist consequentialism, dating back to the 5th century bce, is the worlds earliest form of consequentialism, a remarkably sophisticated version based on a plurality of intrinsic goods taken as constitutive of human welfare.
A fully fulfilling job is a higher end than a job with merely a higher pay. But as young kids, we learned that the end doesnt justify the means. The means always have an effect on the end, so if the end is still worth it all things considered then yea, its justified. Niccolo machiavelli is the political philosopher who coined the philosophy that the end justifies the means.
In simpler terms, this means that most anything is reasonable if it leads to an important and meaningful result. Luckily, with the principle of double effect, were not always responsible for the negative effects. One of the major political thinkers known to us is niccolo machiavelli. If a team won a big game, but used dishonest means such as deflating the balls, the outcome itself is tarnished. An example of the ends justify the means in judaism is makos mardus. Niccolo machiavelli wrote that the ends justify the means. Its theoretically possible that this sort of policy might work, but it doesnt happen very often.
This can have some unsettling implications, which is likely where the opponents of utilitarianism find their reasons for believing that the ends do not justify the means. So, in short, yes, the ends do justify the means if the moral gains of the ends are greater than the moral losses by the means. Read on to gain a deeper understanding of this philosophy, its origins, and. The ends do not justify the means by ephraim judah duration. In general, the phrase the end justifies the means. What does the end justifies the means expression mean. In reality, the end does not justify the means, in part because the longterm outcome of ignoring principles in order to buy shortterm results is a failure of your own goals.
A yes to that question would make you an extreme supporter of the phrase. If the end justifies the means, then if i kill millions of people in order to bring honor and glory to god, it would be perfectly fine. Why the end does not justify the means but now you know. However, this also brings on moral and ethical controversy. For aristotle the process of practicing at being a virtuous person the means are what justifies the conclusion as to what the virtuous person would do the ends therefore for aristotle the ends don t justify the means, but rather the means justify the ends.
The utilitarian standpoint is that an end would justify some means that may be immoral considered in itself. That doesn t mean, of course, we are capable of always doing what is right. Definition of the end justifies the means in the idioms dictionary. The statement that the ends justifies the means can be traced back to niccolo machiavelli. May 12, 2011 it has become clear that many politicians and lawyers, and a few real people, don t understand what is meant by the end does not justify the means.
We love when our favorite team wins even if the game was ugly at times. However, machiavelli suggested and supported this pragmatic philosophy only for the purpose. The answer to this question depends on what the ends or goals are and what means are being used to achieve them. Imagine a man has taken a classroom hostage and is killing kids one. In moral philosophy, deontological ethics or deontology from greek. Examples of this include cheating at sports in order to win a. First, however, a reasonable definition of both ends and means must be established. What options does thomas have in the philadelphia court of common pleas. Machiavelli gives a complex answer to this fundamental politic problem. You wouldnt kill 40 people to save one depending on how important that one person is. Also, from a deontological ethics the end could never justify the means. Oct 15, 2017 sometimes even the best decisions cause some bad results. If both the means and the ends are equally noble and good, there is no question because the ends are justified by the means. In this case, the end is the final result and the means are what you use or do to get to the final result.
But the higher end is why, and that higher end justifies honesty. It cannot be only the end justifies the means, because for the criminals, ends justify the means, for thieves, for every illegal and immoral action, the end justifies the means. The end does not justify the means is a phrase meaning that you must take a moral route to reach your goal. Also, after reading the many excellent comments and answers, i looked at the term proverb and maxim, but these dont seem to quite fit either because the end justifies the means doesnt seem to be a general truth in fact it is more of a moral rationalization that many people do not believe to be true.
Dec 20, 2016 niccolo machiavelli said, the ends justify the means. Except maybe to those who think its possible to be perfect in every decision they make. If you blow up your neighbours house you dont get a better view, you go to prison. In other words, a positive outcome isnt a good thing if the methods used were dishonest or harmful to others. It doesn t matter if it deals with climate change, national or international political power, inner city violence, poverty, the environment, or any other issue endlessly dramatized by our mainstream media, politicians and many of the so called experts in our midst. From a constitutional framework between citizens the end can never justify the means. In my opinion, ends should justify the means with utility and outcome as measure. The end justifies the means is an old phrasing which dates way back in the 16th century and was formed from niccolo machiavellis famous saying men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, because it belongs to everybody to see you, to few to come in touch with you. So the most examples to support the claim that the end does not justify the means dont take into account that the end will not be achieved. For aristotle the process of practicing at being a virtuous personthe means are what justifies the conclusion as to what the virtuous person would dothe ends therefore for aristotle the ends dont. Being healed was a good end, but naaman was furious because he wanted a different means to accomplish the healing. Your policy should be a mixture between your interests and how you reach your ends, but based on values. You wanted a cookie, so you stole a cookie out of your younger siblings hands. The phrase and concept of the end justifies the means are at least as old as the first century bc.
Machiavelli said, the ends justify the means fact or myth. It is sometimes described as duty, obligation or rulebased ethics. The question whether the end justifies the means depends on the type of goal or end a person wants to achieve and the means they use. It is impossible to say with certainty exactly where this expression comes from, but it seems like it has been a recurring idea throughout history and philosophy. Because it means that ones actions nor intentions have no intrinsic moral characteristics, only the outcomes as separate from ones doings have moral characteristics. So you can justify your means by an end if they indeed lead to that exact end. This means actions people take are justified regardless of how they go about achieving their desired end result. It states that, when a translator translates, he should first set up a goal and aim for his translation, and he can then use all means to achieve his purpose as best as he can. However, in judaism, every sin except 3 is nidcheh if theres any danger to life. The statement is significant because it can justify many world issues that need to be addressed. Sometimes even the best decisions cause some bad results. The statement that the ends justifies the means can be traced back to. He is well known for the phrase the end justifies the means which is continually being the. I endorse the end doesnt justify the means as a principle to guide humans running on corrupted hardware, but i wouldnt endorse it as a principle for a society of ais that make wellcalibrated estimates.
There are always motivations to do what is wrong, in order to gain something. Utilitarian theories, on the other hand, must answer the charge that ends do not justify the means. Is there any end in the world that would justify any means however horrible. What the statement the end justifies the means means to me is simply this. There is nothing more necessary to appear to have than this last quality appearing to be religious. I am studying translation, and there is a theory i have come across, called skopo theory, which exactly supports the idea of the end justifies the mean. Jan 06, 2015 the officer can encounter circumstances where he may need to use those devices that inflict pain and even fatality, but doesnt the catechism say that such circumstances still dont justify the means. And now the philosopher comes and presents their thought. The end doesnt justify the means free essay example. Consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of ones conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness or wrongness of that conduct, i. If i stole from the rich to feed the poor, it would be ok.
I endorse the end doesn t justify the means as a principle to guide humans running on corrupted hardware, but i wouldn t endorse it as a principle for a society of ais that make wellcalibrated estimates. The end simply means that it is the end of a complex or simple goal. The end justifies the means implies that the goal is more important than the way by which it is achieved. Consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of. The problem with the ends justify the means philosophy is that it puts the law into the hands of human beings, and makes the law subjective. For although the act condemns the doer, the end may justify him see more related quotes. In other words, the end justifies the means, and this is what i will be arguing. Feb 22, 20 so, in short, yes, the ends do justify the means if the moral gains of the ends are greater than the moral losses by the means. The closest he came to it was when he expressed his view in chapter xviii of the prince. Kant would say that one could never lie, even to save someone else. Judaism definitely does not subscribe to the absolutist position of deontologists such as kant that the ends never justify the means.
I endorse the end doesnt justify the means as a principle to guide humans. This doesnt sound that farfetched when you consider that machiavelli was arrested and tortured by agents of the medici family, whose. When we were young it was easy to assume that the end justifies the means. Its hard to imagine the logic in an ethics that would prohibit stealing or lying for a parent, for instance, who is only doing so to keep their sick child alive. Apr 23, 2018 civil and criminal cases have been the best means of gaining public awareness, preventing abuse and offering an opportunity for justice. The end justifies the means definition of the end justifies. They act like people are saying the desire to have pancakes cannot justify making batter. End justifies the means, the definition of end justifies. When the end goal is just, right, or laudable, the pernicious argument that the ends justify the means can lead even the best legislators or executives into temptation. As well as teaching the schools attorney course, means was a formidable defense attorney in his own right.