Do the ends justify the means?

[Shifty]

Any stories where the end justified the means or did not. Personal stories not global.

 

[Souplex]

It's only justified if you don't repeat a thread in the process.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.128460-Poll-I-would-let-a-thousand-cute-kittens-die-before-I-would-let-you-win#2755157

 

[Thaluikhain]

Didn't want to get up. Not getting up would mean failing exams. Got up. Passed. Woo!

(Personally, I find the general ends/means question to be rather naive. Judging the likely outcomes, and deciding if it's worthwhile or not is more or less how humans (possible other animals, dunno) are able to do anything at all)

 

[McMullen]

What's often left out of that equation is how the means will come back to bite you later, possibly even undoing the end that you worked for.

 

[Shifty]

It's only justified if you don't repeat a thread in the process.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/18.128460-Poll-I-would-let-a-thousand-cute-kittens-die-before-I-would-let-you-win#2755157

I was looking for personal stories not the thread would I kill 9999 people to save 10000. Not hypothetical, personal with meaning.

 

[standokan]

Like in Watchmen? Sure if the means are actually worth it.

 

[lacktheknack]

It depends on how much you hate the person doing the means, I find.

 

[Shifty]

"Does the end justify the means", not "do the ends justify the means"

The end justifies the means if you avoid more suffering than you incur through your actions. Or at least, so says John Stuart Mill.

[link]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism[/link]

 

[Jordi]

Didn't want to get up. Not getting up would mean failing exams. Got up. Passed. Woo!

(Personally, I find the general ends/means question to be rather naive. Judging the likely outcomes, and deciding if it's worthwhile or not is more or less how humans (possible other animals, dunno) are able to do anything at all)

When this question is asked, I find that it is often not the amount of effort required for the means, but rather the amount of malice/evil that makes the conundrum a difficult one.

I don't really have any great stories. When I decide to give up on pursuing a girl I like because she has a boyfriend, my friends often tell me that "nothing lasts forever" or "everything can be broken up". I've had the opportunity to negatively influence more than one relationship that I would have liked to see end, but I never did it, because I don't feel like my selfish ends justify doing that. However, I cannot guarantee that I would be as "noble" if it was absolutely sure that upon causing the break-up I would get the girl.

 

[x EvilErmine x]

It depends on what the end is. You cant really give a yes/no answer to this one because it's entirely contextual depending on the situation.

 

[Erja_Perttu]

It depends on what the end is. You cant really give a yes/no answer to this one because it's entirely contextual depending on the situation.

Agreed. It's like asking, how long is a piece of string?

If it were, say, would you allow a busload of people to die to get to your job interview on time then no.

If it was could I save this room full of doctors by shooting this criminal then I'd say yes, go for it.