what is mean by the ethical principle that "the end does not justify the means"? give an example.?

Answer 1

I believe it was Machiavelli that said ''the ends justify the means'', and it is all to true of what is happening today. It's a very self centered and self seeking statement. I'm going to do this, to get this and let someone else suffer the consequences. Instant gratification, greed on a large scale as we are going to burn fossil fuel to meet our needs NOW, if our grand children suffer,oh well I got what I want. To change that statement in to a ethical one just put ''does not'' into the equation. It's the law of cause and effect, being able to take in the whole of the big picture. There is some hope on the horizon, some company's are looking at the big picture. They are looking into alternatives to many things, one company's view is how what we are doing now going to effect our children seven generations from now. There are groups that use boycott and public statements to raise public awareness. Your question and a lot of the answers are also doing just that. This Q&A thing is a perfect fourm for people of all walks of life to communicate our concerns.

Answer 2

Well, all the answers seem pretty clear to me. All say 'a good ending does not eliminate the pain of a poor journey.'

So, I offer one more example in the hope that in the end you will justify my means:

Take a look at S. Stallone's movie 'Demolition Man.'

This movie is packed with examples of 'ends justifying means.' You should come away with a very clear belief in the principle 'The end does not justify the means.'

;-D Come on! It is full of it! Take a look. Really!

... It is also a funny movie. Luv those commercials.

Answer 3

For example: if I go out and find a rich guy and club him over the head to steal his money, and then give his money to a charity, just because I might have done some good in the "end" that does not justify the "means" of violence I did upon him.

Instead, if I go up and ask him to contribute to the charity, and he does so, then the I need not justify my means, because they are ethical: asking rather than violating.

Answer 4

The end in this principle is the result. The means is the path to get to that result.

The meaning of this is that the means, or path, is bad and a good result does not justify doing the bad to get to that result.

Sometimes when one does something bad to achieve something good it is worth it and sometimes it is not... That's when this principle comes into play.

I hope I explained that well. Sometimes what I'm thinking makes a lot more sense before I put it into words.

Answer 5

Lets say the guy gets to the hospital to do a year check up. He has no family, no friens, no pets, no1 cares about him, an ordinary job, ordinary life. Suddenly it shows up that there are 8 patients with loving families, doing good things to their country and the people, and those patients need a heart, 5 liters of blood, liver, 2 kidneys, cornea. You kill that guy and take everything thats needed. 8 people live, 1 dies. Does the end justify the means?

Answer 6

It means that even if the end is good, but the means to get to the end are bad, then the entire course of action is bad.

Let's say a neighbor rapes your wife, and you cut off his pecker... It might be considered justice in the eyes of some, but it puts you on a level of having no morals and integrity.

Maybe a bad example, but all I could come up with.

The lesson is to not use bad methods to get good or desired resukts, because the temptation would be there to repeat that course of action, and then that makes you a bad person.

Answer 7

If you were to blow up Jerusalem to end the wars over Israel you would end the war but kill everybody in the city to do so. The war is ended but everybody is dead. The end did not justify the means, killing every body. In otherwords , you can't make a wrong right by saying look at how it turned out. It is still wrong what you did.

Answer 8

selling bad stuff for the money , suckering some one just because u can , ripping off something to sell for money or trade for goods

simple all the above is getting something in way that harms or cheats onother to benifit yourself

think of this some one stole ur purse with all ur rent money and bill money in it maybe even checks or credit cards now u have no way to pay bills and posibly ur identity will be used for improper things that person gets away and his actions do not justify his means something like that

another one would be selling drugs for money or trade that hurt ppl or even cause death

end being the money or trade and the thing done to get it being the means

Answer 9

Of course, in the real world the end often does justify the means.

Answer 10

Here is an example:

To cure the pet of a curable disease, the vet killed the pet.

The end was that the disease was stopped but the means of doing it was not justified as the disease could have been stopped without resorting to that measure.