Lying Cheating Breaking Promises Stealing v1

LYING, CHEATING, BREAKING
PROMISES, AND STEALING

Definitions
• Lying – intentionally deceptive message in the form of a statement. Anything meant to deceive
or give a wrong impression.
• White lie- Falsehood not meant to injure anyone, and of little moral import.
• Lies of commission & omission
• Commission: direct statements that are outright lies.
• Omission: not stating certain info that’s vital to a decision, relationship or important human activity.
Ex: saying you are not doing drugs when you are.
• Cheating- deceive by trickery; swindle, mislead, act dishonestly, practice fraud.
• Promise-declaration assuring that one will or won’t do something. A vow.
• Breaking a promise - failing to conform to or act contrary to or violate the promise.
• Stealing – something taken without right or permission in a secret way. Legal : larceny is
felonious taking and removing of another’s personal property with the intent of permanently
depriving the owner.
Nonconsequentalist and Consequentialist views
Rule nonconsequentialists views

 Opposed to the four acts: Kant would say that the acts cannot be universalized.
Consequentialist and act nonconsequentialist views

Act nonconsequentialism - Intuitionism
 If one feels like lying or cheating, then it’s okay.
 But not consistent
Consequentialism – Egoism, Utilitarianism
 The four acts may or may not be justifiable depending upon the perceived consequences.
 No matter which ethical theory you have, most people feel such acts are wrong in general. They
will destroy trust, which is vital to human relationships.
Arguments against Lying
 Dupes and deprives others
 Causes distrust in human relationships.
 Human relationship relies on communication and lying is a failure to communicate honestly.
 Undermines relationships.
 The Domino argument – Ex: lying to dying patients? Most already know the seriousness of
condition. May lead to habitual lying.
 Unfair advantage or power for liars. Ex: Government lies.
 Self-destructiveness of lying. Ex: loss of power & respect.
 Effect of lying on society; damage is done to society. Thus, creating mistrust and cynicism. (Ex:
Malaysian politics)
Arguments for lying
 Defense of the innocent, including self-defense.
 But what constitutes defense and innocent? Some situations may be clearer, but others are not
 National security – Not revealing information that may jeopardize the safety and security of the
nation
 Trade secrets in business - Lie to prevent unfair advantage for competitors.
 “Little white lies” (Ex: refusing a date)
The Moderate position
 Lying only acceptable to save life or as last resort.
 How you tell the truth – different ways of telling truth; do it without harming.
 Ultimately, one should generally tell the truth.
Cheating
Arguments against cheating
 Unfair and unjust to others
 Falsified qualifications. Especially professional qualifications. Ex: doctors, lawyers
 Effects on the cheater. Hurt the cheater, can become a habit.
Arguments for cheating

 Surviving and winning. Survival of fittest in life.
 Everybody does it. But history shows majority can be morally wrong.
 As long as you don’t get caught. Being caught is what’s bad, not cheating. Problem: Issue’s not
about getting caught, but what greater good consequences can come out of cheating?
Breaking promises
 Implies certain agreements made between parties.
 Breaking promises is a form of dishonesty. Gossip secrets.
 A person’s word as an indication of person’s integrity and reputation. Honor. “My word is my
bond.”
Arguments against breaking promises
 Destruction of personal relationships
 Domino theory- habitual breaking
 Effects on people’s life choices (ex: marriage, bonus)
 Destruction of general social trust (broken promises are not promises at all). Ex: politicians
during elections
 Loss of personal integrity - Don’t make promises you can’t be sure of keeping. Otherwise, it
leads to guilt.
Arguments for breaking promises
 Changed circumstances
 When there are moral conflicts
 When it’s a trivial issue
 Where unusual situations justify it.
 No promise is sacred.
 Caveat Emptor - The responsibility is on the recipient of the promise, not the maker.
 Example: The person who bought a product only to find out that it’s defective – the buyer should have
inspected the product first
Arguments against stealing
 Violation of property rights

 Breakdown of trust
 Invasion of privacy
 Domino argument
 Material losses to victim
 Effect on thief; self-image and self-respect
 Overall effect on society
Arguments for stealing
 Corrupt economic system. Unequal, unfair, underpaid. Stealing brings balance.
 Crucial emergency situation, especially life and death situations.
 Thrills and adventure
 From institutions and organizations. (Stealing from the “big guy” whose steps on the “little
guy” to make a profit).
 As long as you don’t get caught
 Military and government secrets. Stealing those in interest of national security.
Case Study – MCO Inter-State Travel
Angela is doing her part in battling Covid – always following the SOPs; sanitizing her hands whenever she could; wearing double
masks; and maintaining social distance at all times. She also has not seen her parents for over a year since she’s in KL and her parents
are in Melaka.
Her parents now have an appointment to get their vaccine shots. Like a good daughter, she wants to travel back to Melaka to make sure
everything is in order. So, she applied for a 1-week travel permit in the police station. But the police only gave her 2 days. “How am I
supposed to have enough time to make sure my parents are well taken care of? What happens if there are health complications as a result
of vaccination,?” protests Angela. “Miss, these are the rules. Covid cases are still high and we do not allow anyone to travel across state
for more than 2 days. Besides, you don’t need one week to check on your parents. And I’m sure they will be fine,” the police officer
responded.
Angela is disappointed and angry. “This is such a stupid and cruel rule,” muttered Angela. “I have been doing the right thing ever since
the MCO started. It’s not my fault that the police are making up unreasonable rules. Why should I suffer when everybody just breaks the
rules anyway?! Besides, the police are too incompetent for me to take this seriously.”
Angela reasons that she shouldn’t be restricted of her movement since she believes that the inter-state travel rule does not make sense, is
cruel, and is unreasonable. She will use her 2-day travel permit to go back to Melaka. Once there, she intends to stay for a month and
then lie to the Melaka Police when applying for a permit to travel back to KL. This is her way cheating the system.
As a note, Angela has been vaccinated (one dose) so she is confident that there’s no danger of her spreading the virus around back home.
Is Angela’s actions justified?

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LYING, CHEATING, BREAKING

PROMISES, AND STEALING

Rule nonconsequentialists views

Consequentialist and act nonconsequentialist views

Arguments for cheating

 Violation of property rights

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