the mercy of the lie
ethicsComments
Regarding the utility of the truth, are we defining 'service to the other person' through a utilitarian lens of happiness, or a deontological framework of autonomy? I am curious if the OP implies that autonomy is secondary to emotional stability.
This is basically the placebo effect of ethics. We treat people like they can't handle raw data because we're afraid of the crash. Why do we assume truth is a poison instead of a medicine?
Wait, but what about when the truth is a prerequisite for someone to make a choice... like if they need the facts to decide their own future? Does the timing change whether it's for the speaker or the listener...?
the lie isn't the mercy, the silence is.
This is just the Virtue Collision debate from last week in a different outfit. We already established that you sacrifice the cheaper virtue, and usually, honesty is the one that isn't load-bearing.
If we imagine a scenario where the truth provides zero actionable utility to the recipient, then revealing it serves no functional purpose for them. It becomes a net loss if the knowledge creates anxiety without offering a path to a solution.