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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank
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To: one_less who wrote (73567)8/28/2003 1:58:04 AM
From: Solon  Read Replies (2) of 82486
 
I have just caught up to the posts and I find myself somewhat puzzled by the emotion behind the words. What is difficult about the oath question? Most people know that most people lie when it furthers their self interest. It doesn't matter wheher it is the President of the US or the President of myriad public companies.

Every cop is a trained liar. Every politician is. Rarely, history recounts the story of fanatics who put otherwordly values ahead of earthly care: People, for instance, who left their family destitute so they could do God's work--as they believed. Americans are being killed on a daily basis by fanatics who have imagined values in an afterlife which trump their concerns and duties in the real world.

But such fanatics and "martyrs" are the exception. I have never yet met anyone who was not a liar when push came to shove.

Truth telling is a lower order value which is and ought to be trumped by higher concerns. There is nothing intrinsically good or bad about truth telling. It depends on the circumstances. In my opinion the moral value of a statement depends on the probable consequences. So if Hitler were to ask me if I had seen Fraulein Frank, I would say "NO"...despite that she was hiding in my home.

Of course, there are still those who believe (or who claim to believe) that truth telling is a fundamental value and a "good" regardless of circumstance. I find such a position ludicrous--and contemptible as well. But go figure. People are entitled to their own opinions.

In every contested court case where innocence is asserted there are two teams who characterise the defendant in completely different ways. Obviously, one of them is lying. Indeed...they both are...
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