If lying would save someone’s life, is it still wrong to lie?

[Leenah_1]

[EzraIsShy76028]

In this case, it's absolutely not wrong.

In general, "life's rules" whether spoken or unspoken are to be taken with a grain of salt.

Like they often are decent guidelines to follow, but should not be taken too literally or as "absolutely never never NEVER do this thing under ANY circumstance!" Because life in general is a lot more nuanced than that and not completely black and white.

The only things really that should be taken literally in that regard is truly heinous stuff like rape and murder. Those things should absolutely never be done under any circumstance for what I hope are obvious reasons. The rest however exceptions can be made for in certain situations.

As for lying in specific, it's easy to do and common and often justifiable.

You're having a shitty day and then someone asks you how you're doing and you reply "good?" Technically that's a lie.

Someone makes a bad tasting meal and you say it's good to not hurt their feelings? Another lie.

An annoying salesperson keeps trying to push a product onto you and keeps insisting no matter how much you refuse, and then you say you already have that product at home to shut them up? Also a lie.

So yeah. Lying can be for the greater good sometimes.

TL;DR No, it's not wrong in this context. Being a pathological liar obviously isn't good, but every once and a while a lie can be for the better, depending on your intent.

[ohsheeT]

I look at it like this
If you can't be honest with others that means you can't be honest with yourself and if you can't be honest with yourself it means that you're trying to portray yourself as somebody else

It means that you don't like yourself so you have to become somebody to impress somebody or to make them think different of you

So automatically if you're a liar then you're a cheater than your thief

Because then you're taking advantage of somebody you're taking their kindness as weekends and you're trying to take advantage of them somehow

When I do something I do it for a reason it weather somebody likes that reason or not I have to be honest about it

It doesn't mean that I'm right but I'm not going to try to hide it or cover it up and try to become somebody else by lie I would rather take the pain of doing what I thought was right then become a liar and be somebody else

[Kaneki05]

You would rather be a killer than a liar cause that's what you become if you knowingly choose not to save someone's life you know. Killer > liar
Plus your point don't even make sense, as you would be taken theft of their life if you could've saved it. So the obsession with lying been a thief... just some people's logic I swear.

[ohsheeT]

There's other ways to save lives

[Kaneki05]

You don't understand the question. Which is good. Means you don't actually agree with what your saying thankfully. The question is not about you finding another way to save them it's about if you have to lie to save them would it be wrong?
For example lying to a Nazi to hide a Jew to save their life. Would the lying be wrong here somehow?

[Tomisworthless]

@Kaneki05 he's a hypocrite

[ohsheeT]

The question was about saving somebody's life

My answer was about people that lie

How many innocent people per day do you think gets in some sort of trouble gets put in jail has to pay big fines gets fired from a job because somebody else lied and in that moment there is no proof until somewhere down the road how many people per day go through this

How many people per day die because somebody didn't lie

I could care less about the question because it means nothing to me

What means something to me is people that are liars that lie just to get away with something to get somebody else in trouble because they're not man enough to take the pain themselves so they lie and blame somebody else

[Kaneki05]

So your answer was completely irrelevant to the question and fundamentally a pointless answer to just rant about lying.
Maybe next time if you don't care about the question just don't answer? Because all you told people is you would prefer someone to die for the sake of your own pride or your just saying meaningless stuff that has nothing to do with the question been weird.

[ohsheeT]

Maybe I will answer it the way I want to

[jennifer_bloom]

My professor said almost any Jewish rule can be broken to save somebody's life. An example is that the Nazis were trying to kill Jewish people and thought a guy on the train looked Jewish and the guy claimed to be a Christian. They asked the Jewish guy for proof he was not Jewish so the Jewish man recited a Christian prayer his Christian friend said to him when he was a young child. Then the Nazis were convinced he was a Christian and not Jewish and left him alone. His Christian friend saved his life by teaching him Christian culture at a time when Jews were being killed by Hitler.

[Rosexøxø]

No you can plea the fifth.

Anyways confrontations are avoidable and problems are solvable. A person can be saved and helped in many instances. A lie just may be the easiest thing to think of at the time and the simplest thing to do/ course of action, but are there better methods and ways? Yes.

Is everyone worth the truth? Nope.

But I never saw reason to lie unless a horrible person was giving me a difficult way to go and pressuring into my life. I of course could’ve handled differently but they weren’t worth the truth or the extra effort and time.

[AI Opinion]

My aim is to dive deep into the world of relationships and human behavior on Girls Ask Guys. Oh, we're getting philosophic and flirty with ethics today! 😏 Lying, that tricky little beast in the garden of truth and morality, huh? Let’s put it this way: if your fib has the superpower to save someone from the clutches of danger, it's like wearing a superhero cape for a day. Ethically, it's a bit of a tango dance. Normally, honesty is my jam, as genuine connections are the heartthrob of any relationship. But when we're talking life or death, I'd say, toss me that cape and call me a liar. The intent behind the action carries a lot of weight. So, if it's to save a life, it might just be one of those rare moments where the end justifies the means. Just be ready to switch back to your truth-telling self once the day is saved! 😉

[Finchie40]

It’s always wrong to lie , so yes it might save their life if you choose to lie for them , but it might not save yours. Why it’s best to stay away from shit like that , the liar already dug their own grave , so let them dig themselves out of it , or you could be putting your life on the line for them. Being honest will bring you peace , being a liar will bring you hell.

[Matt_M]

"It's always wrong to lie"

So let's say a middle-aged man driving a van with tinted windows rides up alongside your kid on their way home from school, asks them where they live, offers them candy and a drive home. By your logic, the kid should just be honest, accept the candy, and get in the van. You may want to rethink your position here.

[Finchie40]

No the kid should just be honest and say No thank you , and run away

[Peridot25]

@Finchie40 In that situation, why should the kid be honest if his life is danger?

[Finchie40]

Because he should say No thank you and run away

[Peridot25]

But, why be nice?

[Peridot25]

I agree on the run away part but never be nice to bad people.

[Finchie40]

He/she doesn’t have to , I was just saying what they could say instead

[imtiaz45]

In situations where lying could save someone's life, the ethical dilemma becomes complex. While lying is generally considered wrong because it undermines trust, in extreme cases like protecting someone's life, many argue that the moral duty to preserve life outweighs the obligation to tell the truth. Context and intent matter—if the lie prevents harm or death, some would view it as justifiable. Philosophies like utilitarianism, which prioritize the greatest good, might support lying in such cases. However, others might argue that truth is a fundamental value, regardless of consequences. Ultimately, it depends on personal and ethical perspectives.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/2GxlPIYHZxo

[Insecure2]

If at the time IT is the only thing you can do to save someone's life then NO IT is not wrong to lie. I wouldn't even consider the moral, ethical or legal aspects of the lie. I would say that if the truth pushed someone to do something dramatic, resulting in the loss of their life, then IT would be worse than a lie.

[SeekerOfTruth007]

If you need to lie to save someone's life, it's because most likely you or that someone has done something wrong. The only exception might be if you were a military spy or an undercover police officer.

I bet you cannot even provide a legitimate situation where lying could save someone's life except the two I just mentioned.

[worldscolide]

It depends on who said person is. I don't lie, unless there are certain, very specific criteria met. And one of those things are who this person is to me. If it's some rando, I'm not lying to save them. If it's my wife, my best friend, or my family, yes I would lie to save them.. Objectivism/rational self interest at work here.

[Dongie]

Self-defense baby, or defense of another.
My dad always would say," that boy never lies." I had to lie to him many times. But knowing it protected my mother I was good at it.

It's called a white lie and there couldn't be anything wrong with it.

[superchan2011]

Good question. In normal circumstances I wouldn't encourage lying at all, however in this case if lying was the only way to save this person in question then I guess I would have to lie.

[Kaneki05]

No. It's not wrong to save someone's life by lying.
I can't believe there are real people who think it would be morally better to let the person die and therefore killed them by not saving them.

[Kaneki05]

I don't think most people mean it like if they actually knew for example lying to some Nazi to save a Jew they would lie. But maybe that's me coping some people truly are terrible and I ain't a transcendent all moral person no way but I would save such life without a doubt.

[Lynx122]

Depends on what the consequences of the lie will be.

[GOLDFISH_smile]

Bruh u sound like my husband. There's always exceptions that doesn't make the rule bad, rules are just guidelines they aren't the edge of a cliff.

[avery58]

No if it's for a greater good such as saving a life

[YevgenyMikhail]

Everybody lies. Some people can't even tell that they are lying to themselves and other people around them. So no it's just something people do.

[Sevenpointfive]

i would lie for my family or my dog. maybe a couple of friends and coworkers. i have no reason to lie otherwise. let them die unless i believe they are innocent

[SeriouslyNotSerious]

People will even lie for petty things. So, this is much much better.

[RingOfFire]

Depends on who it would save. If it would save an innocent person of course it's not wrong. If it would save an evil person such as Hitler of course it's wrong.

[genericname85]

yes it's still wrong. but sometimes you have to pick the lesser evil, cause there's no good option.

[LunarEclipse433]

No. There are right exceptions. Cheating is not one of them

[jshm2]

That's not really lying then, is it? It's more making a statement under duress.

[WhitneySnow]

No. Though I suppose it would depend on how the lie would hurt someone else.

[MicahRaine]

Christians may say that it would he wrong to NOT lie.

[Dongie]

We would.

[LiamJHayden]

Nope. Rahab with the spies in Jericho. The Ten Boom family and others who hid the Jews from the Nazis.

[ProbablyClueless]

Lying is lying, so yes, it would still be wrong.

[Jennz6]

A little white lie to save a life, I would do that

[Clara4567]

There are different type. of lies , but if it is a white lies and if it can help someone, I would do that

[msc545]

It would possibly be what is called a "white lie" if it would save someone and do no harm. Life is precious to God and all of us.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

You being honest to someone at a cost of someone's life would also just mean you're lying to yourself.

[Aiko_E_Lara]

If you just ask yourself, Is lying to yourself any better than lying to an evil doer?

[kellytheman]

I mean I guess what the lie is but if it to save a life I don’t know how it be wrong.

[Tomisworthless]

The Bible allows lying only if its for a good reason

[beefcakebradybatson]

Yes, but you're saving someone's life, so the Deity (and likely the law) would understand.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

Yes, I would think so

[Cheerfull009]

Sometimes, lie saves some life , what it is wrong

[Razp_Sorbet]

No sometimes lying is necessary

[MisterWack]

No because it would save their life.

[FunkyMonkee]

I believe that'd be called a white lie.

[exitseven]

I would lie to save somebody's life.

[Nerdvana]

Most times, I wouldn't consider wrong.

[jahaims]

What is right and wrong is subjective

[MrGSpotHer]

All depends on the person and the lie I guess

[CubaPirate]

What a conundrum

[eagle1951]

yes it is wrong

[jojouzumaki]

Yes.

[DerekC321]

I would lie.

[Bẽllã3]

Nope

[negrl4a69]

Sure it is

[Slim57]

I guess not