Which of the Following Is Most Plausibly Considered a Counterexample

question 49

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is most plausibly considered a counterexample to the principle that it is always wrong to tell a lie?

• A) Suppose that you saw someone rob a bank. You are called as a witness at the robber's trial and you take an oath to tell the truth. The lawyer asks whether you saw the robbery. It is permissible for you to lie and say that you did not see the robbery.
• B) Suppose that you and a friend are staying in a remote cabin in the mountains. A wild-eyed man with a bloody axe shows up at the cabin door. He asks whether your friend is there, explaining that he intends to kill your friend. It would be permissible to lie to the man to protect your friend.
• C) Telling a lie is a way of manipulating someone because lying is a way of getting someone to do or believe something that you want him or her to do or believe. Since manipulating someone violates the obligation to respect persons, it is morally wrong.
• D) Although people do have an obligation not to lie to others, they also have other obligations that can sometimes conflict with the obligation not to lie, and there will be cases in which those other obligations are more important.

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Definitions:

Cultural Relativism

The principle that an individual's beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual's own culture.

Hypertrophy

The enlargement of an organ or tissue from the increase in size of its cells, often associated with physical training and muscle growth.

Cosmetic Surgical

Pertaining to surgery performed to enhance or alter the appearance of body features for aesthetic reasons.

Nonsurgical Procedures

medical treatments and techniques that do not require an incision into the body or the removal of tissue.