NationStates Jolt Archive

It's pretty straightfoward and just general enough to work. Feel free to bring up your own scenerios.

Depends on the ends and the means. :rolleyes:

Do the means justify the end?

"To desire the ends is to desire the means" : Narldorsen (sp-?)

Let's see who can identify the fake philosopher.

"The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end." Leon Trotsky

The end can justify the means but the end that is attempted at must be evaluated first if the end is of imortance and is a crucial part of life then arriving at the end is what needs to be done.
Take care of business :sniper:

"The first sign that a society is corrupt is that the ends justify the means." -a friend of mine

Any takers on the fake philosopher yet?

if the means are evil and bad, then no(which is prolly the jist of it if youre asking) otherwise, if the means are good, yeah.

Though my sense of humor disagrees, I'd have to say that killing all people who have below a certain IQ to make the nation's population smarter on average, would not be acceptable.

Yelda "The end may justify the means as long as there is something that justifies the end." Leon Trotsky

OCC: Darn! I was going to quote Trotsky!

I think they do. Of course, it always depends on the situation. The only rule that should be followed is simply that you should never conduct yourself in a way that will hurt your chances of achieving your goal. Also, you should try to avoid hurting innocent people.

I put yes, but this isn't a clear cut black and white issue.

Alot of depends on the extremity of the means, and the extremity of the end...

A slightly harmful means to a great end? Definitely worth it.

An extremely harmful means to an extremely great end? Questionable, although in general I'd still support it.

An extremely harmful means to a mediocrely (did I just invent a new word?) end? Most likely not.

To desire the end is to desire the means; if you are not prepared to do what is necessary to achieve it, you never wanted it at all.


c'mon people.

They may, at times.