Do the ends justify the means?

Question

In your honest opinion, does it matter at all how you get there, as long as you achieve the goal?

Answer 1

i think it matters. i don't think the ends always justify the means. a lot of times folks use that to justify bad behavior and that's not right. i think it's a cop out. there has got to be a good way to get to what you want, if you just look for it.

Answer 2

I take a very cautious approach to this thinking.

Do the ends justify the means when Enron bankrupts millions of people in the name of doing business and capitalism?

I could end poverty by forcibly castrating people against their will. Is an end to world hunger justify the means?

I could reduce or eliminate crime by removing all of your civil rights. Does the end justify the means?

The Nazis could have achieved an ideal soceity -- with the extermination of Jews and other groups. Does the end justify the means?

I could produce life saving medications if I could remove your rights and experiment on you without your consent. Does the end justify the means?

There is an endless list of possibilities. How you get there is just as important as the end result.

Answer 3

Yes, there's an old proverb - "What goes around, comes around".

By adopting the attitude that one can do anything to reach his goals, that tends to change the rules for everybody else.

Answer 4

It matters to me. Whether it matters to anyone else is their business, higher than my pay grade.

Answer 5

it depends, you may be trying to get somewhere imporant and somone gets in you way, on the other hand, it doesnt matter as long as you get where your going

Answer 6

yes because how you got somewhere may very well be the thing that brings you back

Answer 7

Exactly.