The ends justify the means
Submitted by Heurist on Sun, 04/18/2010 - 16:53
in
The saying:
'The ends justify the means'
is a lie.
The truth is:
The ends are determined by the means.
Even if desired outcomes are good ones; they can only remain pure if the means to achieve them remain in accordance with them. As soon as means are used that are not in accordance with those ends, then the ends are changed accordingly.
What do others here think about this?
John Stuart Mill
has articulated and clarified this argument very well. His essay on liberty is well known, but his essay on utility changed my mind on the ends justify the ends. The ends do justify the means in certain contexts. For example, when you turn left, you are doing it to avoid a car. The ends justify the means.
But the problem comes when you think you have jurisdiction in areas in which you don't. For example, I don't have jurisdiction over my neighbors dinner, so I might justify forcing him to eat vegetables, but the law I break is one of jurisdiction and not related to ends justify the means. Sure, all tyrants justify their means with the ends, but so do many Saints. The difference has more to do with jursidiction, which the tyrant doesn't sense, believe in, or understand.
Of course, I"m only an amateur philospher but I do believe John Stuart Mill has a lot of important things to say and he says them very well.