When a Lie is Preferred over Truth

Telling a lie is the most innovative invention of humanity affecting whole of the human history. Outcome and objective wise, a lie may be put in any one or more of the following three categories –

1. That favors the liar,
2. That favors a majority of people concerned, and
3. That favors someone else

The first type of lie is selfishness, the second may be a social concern, and the third one is favoring someone with loss to someone else. Therefore, only the second type of lie may be acceptable, even though favoring a majority at the cost of minority is also not desirable, whatever be the social concern.

Tactical Lie

In general, every act of favoritism carries disfavor to some others, but exceptionally, there may be a tactical lie that favors some but does not harm any. Indian shopkeepers aim at maximizing their profits through charging their customers higher than prevailing market rates, or through supplying poor quality of goods. This tendency leaves enough chances of negotiation on price and quality of the goods under purchase. Once, I wanted to buy an umbrella. The shopkeeper told me a price of Rs 200. I just guessed and told him a lie, “The same brand is available at Rs 160 at another shop. I should go there for the purchase”. The lie worked and the shopkeeper offered the umbrella at Rs 160. Technically, it appears to be a loss to the shopkeeper with gain to me. But, it is not so, exactly. The lie made the shopkeeper to follow market ethics, and saved me from a loss. Such a lie that harms none but works to improve someone’s conduct may be acceptable.   

Similarly, shopkeepers organize sales of their obsolete/rejected goods and offer discounts which may be falsehoods to attract customers. Such lies are tactical lies, harming none. 

An Exception of Saving a Life

If by telling a lie, somebody’s life is saved, the lie is to be preferred over the truth. Say, an innocent person is being chased by criminals for taking his/her life, and the person hides himself in somebody’s house. The criminals ask the house owner about their prey, and he/she shows his/her ignorance about the person. This lie to save the life of the innocent person is justified.  

Case of a lie for saving a life has an exception of legal proceedings against a murderer or other type of criminal for whom death penalty is prescribed. Telling a lie for saving life of such a criminal is illegal, unethical and never preferable over the truth.

Lie as a Business Process

Business world makes maximum use of telling lies to customers, for maximizing profits with cost to the customers, in terms of production cost, product quality and applicability, profit margin, service guarantee, etc and these are termed as marketing strategies. For consumer protection laws in force in some countries, the businesspersons find ways to circumvent the law to mislead the customers to by their products. In India, every packed industrial product carries its maximum selling price printed on the label, to show to the customers that the printed price is based on real production cost. But the retailers sell such products at 50 percent of the printed price. This means that the printed price of the product is a falsehood to misguide the customers and providing a satisfaction that they got a big discount on their purchase. Such a practice is unethical, but not illegal. Any manufacturer practicing such a price labeling policy does not deserve public trust.   

In many professions and businesses for promoting a new product or service, a strategy of blending lies, optimism and discretion is practiced. Thus, optimism is cultivated through half-truths or half-lies about the product through discretion of the promoters. 

Law Practitioners

Lawyers representing their clients involved in legal suits in courts are duty bound to protect interests of their respective clients against their professional fees, whether the clients are right or wrong. Out of two parties involved in a legal case, one is surely wrong, and the lawyers, even after knowing the truth, present the facts before judicial officers after twisting them to look justified or even tell white lies as their professional duties. This sort of lying, twisting or hiding facts is considered legally right but is not ethically right. As such, profession of lawyers is not ethically and socially right as the lawyers promote infighting for their economic and professional interests. They always oppose out of court settlements between warring parties.