TL;DR Like violence, lying can be justified when intended to protect instead of to inflict harm

Lying is generally judged to be unethical because it can cause harm. Lies can emotionally hurt others; whether or not the lie is of significant consequences, discovering that someone has intentionally deceived you often inflicts the pain of betrayal and broken trust.

Some understand lying as an act of violence. Mohandas Gandhi famously said that “lying is the mother of violence”; he interpreted lying as a causation as well as a form of violence, and argued that in Hinduism and Jainism satya (truth) was the most important principle in practicing ahimsa (non-violence).

In her philosophical study of lying, Sissela Bok argues for the possibility of justified lying – lies which are told in order to defend someone from harm instead of to inflict it. Bok proposes a Scheme of Applied Publicity to measure whether a lie is justifiable or not. She argues that for a lie to be considered justifiable, the liar must firstly inspect their own conscience and the context of the lie, and then act to consult others, especially those with contrasting backgrounds and perspectives.

Like violence, lying is generally wrong but can be justified in certain situations. As the main ethical concerns against lying revolve around its likelihood to cause harm, it is justifiable to lie when doing so will protect someone from harm.

Situational.

TL;DR Is honesty really the best policy if the consequence of the lie outweighs the consequence of the truth.

• This is a consequentialist approach, one favoured by utilitarian’s who look at the outcome of one’s actions as opposed to the action itself. What consequences would my instance of lying have not only on myself but the people around me?
• Imagine a scenario where you are confronted by a serial killer who is looking for a mother and her child. You happen to know the exact location of the two. In this instance, however, I don’t know who would say that lying in this situation would be wrong.
• Ultimately lying should be assessed on a situational basis. Whilst we maintain a general consensus that the truth should predominately be adopted. Lying can’t really be wrong especially when it comes to situations similar to the one mentioned above.

Lying may seem to solve some problems when your intentions are good, but usually the future consequences outweigh the immediate consequences of this decision. (Karma).

• Small white lies seem like a quick solve some problems. However, in the future these lies often come back to bite us. For example, your dad will make that hideous meal that you told him was delicious again. You will then have to eat that meal again. If you had simply told him it was hideous, you would not be having to eat it again.
• Lying never usually works out in your favour. There seems to be a real life karma with lying. You always get found out. So really, lying is never worth it, because the long term consequences are usually bad.
• Lying is morally questionable. It is seen as unethical. Every religion or lifestyle coach will tell you to live your life with honesty. This is because it is alway portrayed as the right thing to do, which it usually is.
• Lying may not be always wrong, as sometimes a white lie may not always come back to bite you, but lying is usually not worth the future trouble.

Surprise birthday party?

At the risk of sounding trivial, I wanted to add to the notion that lying is not always a tactic used in negative or conniving circumstances. I'm in the middle of planning a birthday surprise for my mother this week. If, in the process of preserving the surprise, I toss around a couple of white lies, have I broken a fundamental moral code?

• Potentially, yes. If we subscribe to Immanuel Kant's moral imperative, a moral framework that involves deciding that a certain act is fundamentally wrong regardless of circumstance then, yes, my lies are wrong.

• Potentially, no. If we subscribe to moral particularism, we allow ourselves to assess the morality of a deed without the confines of set moral principles.

Depending on the moral framework, therefore, lying can be wrong in its very essence, or I could potentially be spared from spearing judgement for my birthday plans by relying on an individual assessment of the situation.

An additional consideration is whether harm was intended through the lie. Are deeds immoral if the harm was unintentional?

• The Doctrine of Double Effect permits harm as a side effect of a good deed - e.g.. if my lie was intended to make my mother happier and, in the process, confused and slightly stressed out my father, was it immoral? Again, this can be assessed on a relative basis - whether my mother's happiness was worth my father's brief moment of tension.

Completely depends on the context

TL;DNR Lying has evolved as a tool of higher intelligence to manipulate the uninformed into making effective decisions they might not otherwise choose.
-Lying can be wrong when used to manipulate a weaker mind into exploitation
-Lying can be good when a desired motivation aspires from the listener
-It all depends on how effective the rhetoric is at improving the audience
-We use lies even on children when the complex answer won't drive them
-Steve Jobs knew the benefits of lying even if he had to fall on his sword
-In conclusion, there are right/wrong answers, but a lie has higher intention

Not all lying is wrong. If its used to save lives or prevent an injustice. For example, how many people lied to Nazi authorities by sheltering and hiding Jews during the Holocaust? If some lying is justified and used for good, therefore ALL lying is not really wrong.

Lying is generally considered morally wrong due to its potential to cause harm and erode trust in personal and societal relationships.

For:

Trust and Relationships: Honesty is a foundational element of trust in relationships. When people lie, it can damage trust and create a foundation of deceit, leading to mistrust and instability in personal and professional relationships.

Social Harmony: Truthfulness is essential for social harmony and cooperation. Lies can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and a breakdown of social cohesion.

Moral Integrity: Most ethical frameworks, including those in philosophy, religion, and law, uphold honesty as a virtue. Lying contradicts these moral principles and compromises personal integrity.

Against:

Contextual Ethics: There are situations where lying might be considered acceptable or even necessary, such as to protect someone from harm (e.g., lying to a potential assailant about a person's whereabouts) or to maintain privacy (e.g., lying to protect sensitive personal information). However, these situations are exceptions rather than the rule.

Harmless White Lies: Some lies, often referred to as "white lies," are told to avoid hurting someone's feelings or to maintain social etiquette. While these may be seen as benign, they still pose a risk of eroding trust if discovered.