On Honesty And Lying: A Philosophical Evaluation, Yesterday And Today

Abstract

“Every act aims at a good.” This sentence of aristotle certainly emphasizes a search that marks a questioned life. The aforementioned question of what can be good, and the sub-problems associated with it lead us to various other concepts. Among these concepts, virtue is one of the most well-known. While the nature and reality of virtues have always been discussed, it was also desired to establish a metaphysics of morality. However, the difficulty of determining an impartial and universal principle for the diversity of human nature, ways of knowing, believing and acting, and finally social structures has been deeply felt by the philosophers who put forward their views on this issue. While spoken within the framework of honesty, the questions "why should ı not lie or why should ı be honest" are the subject of different interpretations. Today, the storms created by the postmodern era on truth continue to erode the strong bonds established between knowledge and moral action. The public deprivation of other virtues such as loyalty, fidelity and courage seems to widen the limits of lying day by day. In this study, starting from daily life, research is carried out about the lies that infiltrate science, philosophy and politics. The causes, consequences and what can be done of the careless attitude towards lying or being dishonest are evaluated together on a philosophical ground that defines the framework of different paradigms.