The End Justifies The Means By Publius Ovidius Naso
Module 2: Critical Thinking Option 1
Most of us, one time or another, have done or justified questionable acts because we thought the outcome was for the best interest of all parties involved. This action can be summed up with the statement “the end justifies the means”. This statement or doctrine originated in the writings of Publius Ovidius Naso who wrote Heroides (Van Wyk, 2007). The ends justify the means can be defined as a good outcome excuses any wrongs committed to attain it (The American Heritage Idioms Dictionary, 1995). We can see this justification be used in almost all aspects of our life and may have used it ourselves. The biggest factor in doctrine is the ethics or moral being of the person making the decision to take action.
Doctrine Acceptance
Many political leaders have used the doctrine “the ends justify the means” throughout history to justify the steps they have taken in order to provide a better place for us or their subjects to live. I do not feel that this is always an acceptable justification since it is up to the individual that is taking action to determine what a good outcome is and the costs associated with obtaining that outcome. For instance, Hitler tried to exterminate …show more content…
When it comes to war, I feel there are instances where our political leaders have made a choice to become involved in order to protect our way of living. This falls under the doctrine being valid in situational circumstances. I know that many Americans have sacrificed their lives in order for us to have the freedoms we enjoy and without them being sent into war, we may not know what freedom is. This is not true in all accounts of war because there have been times where our soldiers have been sent into combat with no justification of it being for the greater good of our country. These different scenarios show that there are instances where the ends can or cannot justify the
Most of us, one time or another, have done or justified questionable acts because we thought the outcome was for the best interest of all parties involved. This action can be summed up with the statement “the end justifies the means”. This statement or doctrine originated in the writings of Publius Ovidius Naso who wrote Heroides (Van Wyk, 2007). The ends justify the means can be defined as a good outcome excuses any wrongs committed to attain it (The American Heritage Idioms Dictionary, 1995). We can see this justification be used in almost all aspects of our life and may have used it ourselves. The biggest factor in doctrine is the ethics or moral being of the person making the decision to take action.
Doctrine Acceptance
Many political leaders have used the doctrine “the ends justify the means” throughout history to justify the steps they have taken in order to provide a better place for us or their subjects to live. I do not feel that this is always an acceptable justification since it is up to the individual that is taking action to determine what a good outcome is and the costs associated with obtaining that outcome. For instance, Hitler tried to exterminate …show more content…
When it comes to war, I feel there are instances where our political leaders have made a choice to become involved in order to protect our way of living. This falls under the doctrine being valid in situational circumstances. I know that many Americans have sacrificed their lives in order for us to have the freedoms we enjoy and without them being sent into war, we may not know what freedom is. This is not true in all accounts of war because there have been times where our soldiers have been sent into combat with no justification of it being for the greater good of our country. These different scenarios show that there are instances where the ends can or cannot justify the