On the Supposed Right to Lie out of Human Love
Description :
A newtranslation of Immanuel Kants short essay On the Supposed Right to Lie out of Human Love from the original German manuscript first published in This new edition contains an afterword by the translator a timeline of Kants life and works and a helpful index of
Kants key concepts and intellectual rivals This translation is designed for readability rendering Kants enigmatic German into the simplest equivalent possible and removing the academic footnotes to make this critically important historical text as accessible as possible to the modern readerHere Kant examines the nuances of what constitutes a lie exploring whether silence or the withholding of truth can be equated to an act of lying especially in scenarios where speaking the truth could lead to negative consequencesKant opens the essay by challenging the commonly held belief that lying can be morally justified under certain circumstances such as to prevent harm This part of the essay scrutinizes the moral and ethical implications of lying arguing that truthfulness must be maintained as an absolute moral duty The second part delves into the conceptual differentiation between lies of commission and omission The third section discusses the societal and legal repercussions of accepting lies as morally permissible under certain conditions where he argues that allowing lying even in ostensibly benevolent situations erodes the trust and integrity essential for the functioning of a just society and legal system In the fourth section the essay addresses the philosophical underpinnings of truthfulness drawing on his own ethical system to reinforce the argument that the moral value of truth is intrinsic and not dependent on its consequences This posits that the act of lying compromises the liars dignity and the moral fabric of societyKant closes the essay with an argument for the significance of upholding truthfulness in all circumstances It emphasizes the importance of absolute adherence to truth presenting a compelling case against the notion of a supposed right to lie regardless of the circumstances or intended outcomes