Poll: The Ends JustifyingThe Means

[Shock and Awe]

This is a old concept, do you think that it holds true?

I say no. Take for example, there is riot. You could just spray it with machine gun fire, the riot would end, it may save some lives, but you dont know that and you just killed many for sure. If you ask me, Is there a point in protecting humanity if we sacrifice our humanity to do it?

What do Escapists Think?

EDIT: The Means would need to be something considered evil to be used as an example

 

[Cuniculus]

No, the ends do not justify the means. I could have world peace if I killed everyone. Does that sound worth it?

 

[LOOY]

Depends on the means and the ends, duh!

 

[deletemeplease107]

I voted it does... i meant to vote the other.
oops

 

[UbarElite]

Does depend, especially if the means we are talking about are not great in magnitude...if we could give up a dollar to end world hunger somehow sure I would lose a candy bar or whatever, but it would be well worth it.

As unrealistic a scenario as that would be, the ends CAN justify the means, however in general I believe they do not.

 

[GRoXERs]

No. While certainly I think that as a species we would benefit by, say, sterilizing all those with IQs under 100, it would be a completely unethical and unambiguously WRONG thing to do, mostly due to Kant's categorical imperative - i.e. if you wish that stupid people were sterilized, would you wish such a thing to happen to you? No? You'd rather not be sterilized? Then don't do it to anyone else.

There really shouldn't be much debate here.

 

[Shock and Awe]

Does depend, especially if the means we are talking about are not great in magnitude...if we could give up a dollar to end world hunger somehow sure I would lose a candy bar or whatever, but it would be well worth it.

As unrealistic a scenario as that would be, the ends CAN justify the means, however in general I believe they do not.

Well, Obviously what you said was something that is selfless, I mean doing something that would be considerd evil/bad to get a good end.

 

[bodyklok]

Depends on the means and the ends, duh!

This. The end can justify the means, but not always. Though really it's SUBJECTIVE!

 

[Hazy]

Nope, for the above reasons.

 

[UbarElite]

Does depend, especially if the means we are talking about are not great in magnitude...if we could give up a dollar to end world hunger somehow sure I would lose a candy bar or whatever, but it would be well worth it.

As unrealistic a scenario as that would be, the ends CAN justify the means, however in general I believe they do not.

Well, Obviously what you said was something that is selfless, I mean doing something that would be considerd evil/bad to get a good end.

My bad, same answer though: the ends CAN justify the means, they just usually don't (and so far in my opinion, never have).

 

[Hazy]

Does depend, especially if the means we are talking about are not great in magnitude...if we could give up a dollar to end world hunger somehow sure I would lose a candy bar or whatever, but it would be well worth it.

As unrealistic a scenario as that would be, the ends CAN justify the means, however in general I believe they do not.

Well, Obviously what you said was something that is selfless, I mean doing something that would be considerd evil/bad to get a good end.

When you put it this way: It can.
Prime examples: A man steals to feed his starving family.
Killing a Murderer. Etc.

 

[DoomyMcDoom]

well if it were say tearing out the still beating heart of a known murderer infront of a bunch of other criminals of various degrees as a solid deterent against committing said crime... showing that if yer a heartless scab of a person, the end result of your actions will be the removal of your heart in a painful and exagerated way... i guess it could save a buncha lives and well the douche deserved it (in most cases this is true) though I know alot of people would see it as unjust or uncivilized... but really whats worse, ending him painfully as an example or releasing him into the streets to become a repeat offender...

or killing someone to stop them from blowing up a large gathering of people for some unethical reason. sure you killed him, but in this case to stop him from killing many. that's a good cause with a less than ethical means of course when it comes down to it sure talking him out of it might work but pulling a trigger on him is alot faster and more of a sure fire way he aint gonna det the bombs while yer talking just to mess with you. and especially if the above mentioned method is used to deal with murderers, if you were convicted it becomes self sacrifice so it becomes a selfless act of murder and sacrifice that saves many so the means are both selfless and selfish but the ends are selfless, so i guess in a situation where the ends are good and the means are good and bad in several different ways i see it as worth it, so i voted depends. /end rant

 

[youalleverybody]

No one ever sees this the other way around, do they?

If your worst enemy tried by all means to steal your girlfriend/make your business fail/kill you, but he screwed up and ended helping you, would the ends justify his means? would you forget that and call him your friend and invite him over for dinner?

 

[NeutralDrow]

Depends on the situation, but in most cases no. The means are important.

 

[Arcticflame]

This is one of those sayings that I find a bit stupid. Because it all depends on what you include as the ends and the means.

It doesn't mean anything either way.

 

[KarumaK]

No one ever sees this the other way around, do they?

If your worst enemy tried by all means to steal your girlfriend/make your business fail/kill you, but he screwed up and ended helping you, would the ends justify his means? would you forget that and call him your friend and invite him over for dinner?

Yes actually, I thought to myself yesterday that if I ever put someone in my will and they happen to kill me and be found out, I want their portion doubled.

I like people who go for what they want.

 

[Lord George]

I always get what I want through any means, though then again that just because I'm a very self centred person, I'd kill millions to save my own life so yes the ends always justify the means for me.