Who said the ends don't justify the means

One is the belief that the end justifies the means. A characteristic behavior in todays society is the belief that the ends justifies the means. He was the author of the prince, which was published in the first half of the 1500s. By anyones standard other than gods, asa did a very good thing. If the end goal is righteous enough, few elected leaders can withstand the flawed reasoning that it doesnt matter how you make that. Machiavelli said, the ends justify the means fact or myth. Luckily, with the principle of double effect, were not always responsible for the negative effects of. Feb 17, 2018 the results justify the means to an extent. Did machiavelli actually say, the ends justify the means. The ends are simply what we want to achieve, like happiness, a loving boyfriend, or a career. The reason we probably dont know who said things like these is that they are really very common ideas. You think the end justifies the means, however vile. I am guessing most people make a mental pros and cons list, and go from there.

What is being said when saying, the ends justify the means. The answer to the question do the ends justify the means. Did sarah palin really say that she could see russia from her house. But you might have noticed ive said people might be incidentally correct when they say the ends dont justify the means.

For example, some students i have taught justified lying on their resume because it. It is an unpopular and even counterintuitive notion that the ends don t justify the means, particularly when the ends turn out well. Who originally came up with this, or is the main supporter of this quote the ends always justify the means or some variant. The ends do not justify the means definition of the ends. Hes campaigning with illegal funds on the theory that if he wins the election the end will justify the means, or the officer tricked her into admitting her guiltthe end sometimes. Why the end does not justify the means but now you know.

Consequentialism is primarily nonprescriptive, meaning the moral worth of an action is determined by its potential consequence, not by whether it follows a set of written edicts or laws. The ends dont justify the means when we rely on anything other than god for our victories. Malcolm x is associated with the phrase by any means necessary. Contents hide 1 the ends justify the means meaning. Also missing in the endsmeans ethics discussion is an understanding of the providence of god. When the ends dont justify the means evangelism outreach.

It was later picked up and used to justify murderous acts by lenin and. For example, some students i have taught justified lying on their resume because it could help them get a job. An example might be withholding information from a loved one so as not to upset them. Machiavelli in all cases is implying that the means matter, and the ends dont magically justify them, yet sometimes it is worth accepting all the. But if evil depends on many factors, then some ends would be worth the evil means taken to get to there. The volume of philosophical discourse thats gone into analyzing the. The line, often adopted by strong men in controversy, of justifying the means by the end. Utilitarian theories, on the other hand, must answer the charge that ends do not justify the means. Sep 10, 2017 the phrase and concept of the end justify the means are at least as old as the first century bc.

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. The means justify the ends versus the ends justify the means. It means that if a goal is morally important enough, any method of getting it is acceptable. If the goals are good and noble, and the means we use to achieve them are also good. It is never the ends that matter it is only the means that matter. Sep 26, 2016 they justify this by saying they dont have enough men who are qualified to lead.

The end justifies the means simple english wikipedia, the free. This cliche is usually quoted in the context of the ends dont justify the means, but in practice most folks seem to live as if the ends did justify the means even if the means involved sin. Who said does the ends justifies the means answers. God did not simply create the world, populate it with people, and then leave them to muddle through on their own with no oversight from him.

We can rationalize any action if the motivation for the goal is strong enough. The ends don t justify the means is merely a misstatement or simplification of a situation in which some of the ends are so terrible that the desired ends aren t worth it. They act like people are saying the desire to have pancakes cannot justify making batter. The three examples above show that the us government does effectively torture people, or take away their freedom, or have them killed, all for ends justify the means reasons. If both the means and the ends are equally noble and good, there is no question because the ends are justified by the means. The end justifies the means meaning in the cambridge. Justice said, ain his morally repugnant attempt to justify the tree of government, the partisan often resorts to two typical sorts of arguments one is denial and the other is a variety of atheendsjustifythemeans. On the other hand, if the ends justify the meansif your.

End justifies the means, the definition of end justifies the means. The fact of the matter is that sometimes the end does justify the means but only in the end is justifiable in the first place. The end justifies the means phrase meaning and origin. The phrase is better translated as one must think of the final result, and was written in regards to the lack of a true judge of whether a princes. Does the end justify the means i think there is a big if at the end of that sentence. Concerning the way in which princes should keep faith. Oct 12, 2012 if the ends dont justify the means, what does. This means actions people take are justified regardless of how they go about achieving their desired end result. But as i just indicated, you dont need to look far to find public policies that rely on similar arguments. Niccolo machiavelli said, the ends justify the means.

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. Even when we are forced into extreme measures in order to offer hope for the down trodden we can never allow the result to free us from the need to self reflect and analyse whether we may have crossed the. Mar 09, 2009 who said the ends always justify the means. The end did not justify using a means different from what god said. The pornographer pretends he is disgusted by his work. The ends do not justify the means synonyms, the ends do not justify the means pronunciation, the ends do not justify the means translation, english dictionary definition of the ends do not justify the means. I remember that it was some renaissance prince or something in a book about how to rule a kingdom and control your subjects.

If some things are evil regardless of the good end, then the end would not justify the means. What does the bible say about the ends justifying the means. This cliche is usually quoted in the context of the ends don t justify the means, but in practice most folks seem to live as if the ends did justify the means even if the means involved sin. There is a growing trend of these types of cases being filed against corporations, claiming to be in defense of the environment or human rights, which are ultimately. If the end justifies the means, then spurious ends, such as the supremacy of the third reich, and justify unethical means, such as destroying anyone who gets in the way of this end. Aldous huxley the end cannot justify the means, for the simple and obvious reason that the means employed determine the nature of the ends produced. Ovid wrote in his heroides that exitus acta probat the result justifies the deed.

Some people have claimed that the ends justify the means, but not viceversa. How does the church reconcile her teaching that the end doesnt justify the means with her allowance for self defense and just war. Visit the bible online to search for words if you dont know the specific passage yourre looking for. Widely attributed to machiavellis the prince, which does reflect this philosophy but does not. Jan 02, 2020 so, clearly, from gods perspective there are no ends that justify the means of breaking his law. However sometimes people cannot see clearly what is sin and what isnt. Apr 29, 2014 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. The phrase and concept of the end justify the means are at least as old as the first century bc. For example, hes campaigning with illegal funds on the theory that if he wins the election the end. The ends still dont justify the means the american.

And the king said to them, i had a dream, and my spirit is troubled to know the dream. If the end goal is righteous enough, few elected leaders can withstand the flawed reasoning that it doesnt matter how you make that goal happen. Asking that question is sure to get a blank stare, because most people havent thought about this subject in detail. Widely attributed to machiavelli s the prince, which does reflect this philosophy but does not use the phrase in this wording. The phrase the ends justify the means means it is okay to do something wrong if the final result is something very good. Not all means are justified by the end, of coursebut some means are. The only way we can determine with any reliability what means should be employed are by the ends those means produce. The meanness and inhumanity of the means make you mean and inhuman and make the end unattainable. Definition of the end justifies the means in the idioms dictionary. A machiavellian perspective a characteristic behavior in todays society is the belief that the ends justifies the means. Or, the if the glory of god and the fulfillment of his wishes is the end, then burning people who are in the way of this is justified. He should tell the truth even though that will mean the end of his business. 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. Mar 02, 2015 and although he remains famous today for his wellarticulated methods for ruthlessly thriving in a corrupt world, he never said the phrase that is most often attributed to him.

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. What your version of the expression means is that you cant use a desired outcome to say that what youre doing is okay. The volume of philosophical discourse thats gone into analyzing the implications of the phrase is. It is an unpopular and even counterintuitive notion that the ends dont justify the means, particularly when the ends turn out well. What is the origin of the quote the ends justify the means. It has become clear that many politicians and lawyers, and a few real people, dont understand what is meant by the end does not justify the means. They justify this by saying they dont have enough men who are qualified to lead. In the kingdom of god, where the cross sits like a jewel immovable from its setting in the incarnation, the ends can never justify the means. Sometimes even the best decisions cause some bad results. The problem arises in these theories because they tend to separate the achieved ends from the action by which these ends were produced.

These two questions will be considered here in light of the postmodern churchs insistence in doing whatever it takes to win souls, even if it means disobeying scripture and embracing pagan deities. May 16, 2006 the answer to the question do the ends justify the means. 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. People have been arguing about this kind of thing for just about as long as there have been arguments at all. Asa displayed some amazing leadership skills, and he even saved his people from the enemy. Then the chaldeans said to the king in aramaic, o king, live forever.

For example, hes campaigning with illegal funds on the theory that if he wins the election the end will justify the means, or the officer tricked her into admitting her guiltthe end sometimes justifies the means. I may agree with you that the ends do not justify the means but i dont think you can say that we would all agree to that. 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. This work, however, never directly uses this expression, in english translations or the original italian. Oct 04, 2019 but as i just indicated, you dont need to look far to find public policies that rely on similar arguments. Niccolo machiavelli never actually said the ends justify the means. Apr 14, 2019 what is being said when saying, the ends justify the means. It would have to be the ends justifies the means if most people probably dont think of it this way.

The ends dont justify the means, but christian forums. Despite the fact that this notion has been condemned ever since paul wrote romans 3. Most people attribute this quote to niccolo machiavelli. That pushbutton philosophy, that deliberate deafness to suffering, has become the monster in the war machine. 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. I couldnt think of anything that would fit your description could you give some examples. The term the end justifies the means means that the results of some actions taken is more important than the other repercussions of said actions. Most men and women are geniuses when it comes to justifying our behavior. A good outcome excuses any wrongs committed to attain it. If people dont like you now, then they probably never will.

The end justifies the means idioms by the free dictionary. 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. No one has ever claimed that the means justify the ends. Although society has a way of still rewarding and idolizing those who succeed despite dubious, or downright despicable means, the saying itself. 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. However sometimes people cannot see clearly what is sin and what isn t. In this quote from chapter 18 of the prince about keeping faith.

An important flaw in the ends justify the means is that it artificially makes a course of action appear more just by ignoring the costs, and by ignoring whether or not it even worked. If the means justify the endsif you should follow the rules no matter the consequencesthen when the agents ask lepp point blank whether hes selling the medicine, the ethical action is to admit it. In other words, one cannot commit a series of knowingly fraudulent and illegal acts, even if purportedly done in the name of a noble cause. Jul, 2014 in the kingdom of god, where the cross sits like a jewel immovable from its setting in the incarnation, the ends can never justify the means. The ends can never justify the means red letter christians. This fiery man, who translated the entire bible into latin, called the vulgate, said this in the 48th letter to a guy named pammachius ab. And no, i dont think our strategy is to provide solutions for the new style of it will cut it, even if you do capitalize the words new and style in the presentation. Morally wrong actions are sometimes necessary to achieve morally.