Does The End Justify The Means

304 Words2 Pages
Write a response to the question, "Does the end justify the means?" Give examples of when the ends justifies the means and when it doesn't. The ends justify the means refers to those moral theories which hold that the consequences of actions are the true basis for any judgment about such actions. Whether the end justifies the means is a debate that many people have had in today’s society and, in my opinion, we can only justify the means when they are morally, ethically, and socially upright. Nothing in the world can justify a means except the end which it is intended to serve and a means can be right only in relation to an end, and only by serving that end ethically. The means in a situation is what I do in order to accomplish my goal. The end in a situation is my accomplishment or goal desired. Examples: If an individual saves up money for months in order to buy a new computer yet they have stolen the money from others to do so, the end in this situation is not justified because the individual has obtained the money by stealing which is not legal and not ethical. Therefore, the end does not justify the means. The fact that the individual bought the computer (the ends) does not justify the fact that they stole the money (the means). If an individual saves up money for months in order to buy a new computer in an ethical way, i.e. obtaining a job, etc., and buys the new computer with it, the end in this situation is justified because the individual purchased the computer with their own money thereby making the end justify the means. In conclusion, the method of means which violate our morals cannot validate the end
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