PPE and Philosophy
Is it ever right to lie?
A friend hiding in your house is being chased by someone who wants to hurt them. The pursuer asks you where your friend is. May you lie?
- Hint 1What makes lying wrong in ordinary cases?
- Hint 2Does a duty not to lie hold however bad the consequences?
- Many people say yes: the lie prevents serious harm.
- A consequentialist weighs the outcomes; here the lie very likely prevents serious harm, so it is allowed.
- Kant famously held that lying is always wrong, even here, because it treats truth-telling as negotiable.
- A middle view: lying is wrong because it exploits trust, and the pursuer has forfeited the right to the truth.
- Say which view you hold and test it against a harder case.
Where it lands: Open: a strong answer explains why lying is normally wrong and whether that reason applies here.
The trap: Saying 'obviously yes' without explaining what makes lying wrong in the first place.
What a tutor might ask next: Is it wrong to lie to a friend about a gift you dislike?
Now do one out loud. In the interview you think aloud with a tutor. Try a PPE problem with hints, follow-ups and Mia's feedback on how you think.