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"The end justifies the means"?

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2_fadez
Posts: 7780 - Karma: 4,183
Alright all you NS philosophers out there, I was in a discussion today and a kid brought up the saying:

"The end justifies the means"

True or not true?




But srsly guys, help me with my English hw.
Sep 26 2010 3:28PM
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HKizzle
Posts: 401 - Karma: 19
Depends on what the ends and means are. Like killing somebody before he kills like ten people, in that situation you can say the ends justify the means.
Sep 26 2010 3:31PM
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blackoutbill
Posts: 2918 - Karma: 282
Scenario 1:

Say there is a new kid in your class. You know that he drives an awesome sports car. You go up to him and say "Hey man, we should go out to lunch sometime-buy you should drive." Your only true motive is that you want to take a ride in his car

Scenario 2:
Same new kid with the same car but this time, you don't know that he has the car. You go up to him and say "Lets get lunch some time." You become friends and take a ride in his car

People shouldn't be used as a means to get to an end. The first scenario, in my opinion, is totally immoral. Ends don't justify means
Sep 26 2010 3:34PM
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Clevinger
Posts: 394 - Karma: 8
It's not really a blanket statement, is it?

You're really not giving us enough information. Essentially you're asking us 'is y greater than x?' without giving us any information as to what y or x actually are.

I'm a bit angry with you, actually.
Sep 26 2010 5:35PM
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Blurst
Posts: 13577 - Karma: 10,169
Your right situation 1 is totally immoral but the end probably would not end very well.
Sep 26 2010 5:36PM
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2_fadez
Posts: 7780 - Karma: 4,183
Please forgive me.

Prompt:

Is the proverb "The end justifies the means" ever true, whether in bigger global situations or personal, everyday experiences? Please provide specific examples in your response
Sep 26 2010 5:39PM
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I.Love.Beezy
Posts: 2117 - Karma: 784
Fuck Bitches Get Money.



Sep 26 2010 5:40PM
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Clevinger
Posts: 394 - Karma: 8
The proverb 'the end justifies the means' can certainly be true, and indeed every prudent decision to commence activity is founded on the idea.
Sep 26 2010 5:43PM
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ESAND
Posts: 1607 - Karma: 744
Dude it's english homework; there is no right nor wrong answer, just how well you support it.

Here's an idea to run with though libertarianism is completely incompatible with consequentialism, and the smallest existence of the latter destroys any possibility of the former existing.
Sep 26 2010 5:43PM
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blackoutbill
Posts: 2918 - Karma: 282
Red. I'm calling McCarthy on your ass
Sep 26 2010 6:02PM
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Clevinger
Posts: 394 - Karma: 8
Is my meter broken or something?
Sep 26 2010 6:04PM
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Sklar
Posts: 8864 - Karma: 31,612
boom, there ya go, just back it up somehow
Sep 26 2010 6:11PM
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Abc567def
Posts: 8756 - Karma: 801
you want a cupcake, a man next to you has a cupcake, you kill that man to have the cupcake, you have a cupcake. Yes the end justifies the means
Sep 26 2010 6:31PM
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no_steeze
Posts: 23992 - Karma: 4,272
the end will be the same regardless so there's no sense in trying to justify anything in between

no matter how you end a story there will always be an inevitable ending
Sep 26 2010 6:32PM
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Mike-O
Posts: 14593 - Karma: 1,089
You could go with an inverted Hume's guillotine: there is no ought from what will be. If you can't deduce how something should be from how things are at the present, could this mean the same if you can't deduce "your means" even if you know "the end"?
Sep 26 2010 6:36PM
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