AGREED! But often personal honesty, conflicts with a genuine ethical disposition? i.e. Schindler wasn't technically honest, but arguably the most ethical Nazi in the Nazi party.

And in running arguably the biggest scam in history, saved hundreds from the horrors of the Nazi prison camps and the, final solution, gas chambers.

And in essence, truthful where it really counts, i.e., to your own human values and personal integrity!

One also needs to be honest with oneself and one's own moral compass, easily thrown away in the interest of some nebulous short-term gain or outcome? Particularly in the heat of armed conflict!

Moreover, If you asked to give fearless and frank advice? And paid to do so, then that is the literal job description!

No ifs, buts or maybes!

Further, the most important opinion in the room all too often the very one that disagrees with you and then obliges you to defend a position with honest integrity, then no bad thing.

After all, if the boss and the employee are of one mind an in lockstep so to speak, then one of them is clearly redundant!

Unto thine own self be true.
Alan B.

It depends on the circumstances.

I'd take it on a case by case basis.

Personally, if I was diagnosed as being
terminally ill - I'd not want to know.
But that's just me. Many people would
disagree.

If my husband had an affair - I wouldn't want
to know (unless he'd keep on having them).

If someone could tell my future - that I was
going to get hit by a bus and die - I wouldn't
want to know that either.

I guess what I'm trying to say is - I'd prefer
no to have to deal with bad news. Unless I
absolutely have to. Bad news that only concerns
me that is. Regarding my family - I'm a tigress
and I would definitely want to know whatever
is going to happen to them. And how I could
help. I'm just a coward when it comes to me.

The author believes in "peace" and "truth"! Despite these personal failings one should not condemn him - well not yet.

Successful politicians and Cardinals only succeed by being economical with the "truth".

Take the Ministry of Truth and "What have the Romans ever done for us?" http://youtu.be/uvPbj9NX0zc?t=50s

Truth is merely a point of view to be argued in Courts and Parliaments.

"Is telling the truth in the public interest?"

Not if you're selling the nation out to promote a globalist agenda.

Agreed as well.

The only two alternatives to telling the truth is to 1) say nothing, or 2) lie.

There are several situtions both publically and privetely where saying nothing is the best choice to make. There are only a few reasons when lying is worth doing, and all of those reasons are when the person or the company/organization/government is doing wrong. There are no good reasons to lie or to continue in a lie.

Therefore, if you can't tell the truth, say nothing, or say that you can't say.

If on the other hand if you have to answer then tell the truth (and face those consquences) or face the consquences of saying nothing.

Being truthful, sincere, and honest is the better option on all matters we have in life.

I remember a saying, 'If your going to lie, you'd better have a good memory'.
I am somewhat in the dark on this thread because as humans we are faced with many conflicts of many differing emotions and situations.
In my case it is clear, I believe in the truth, it's just how I'm wired.
Part of it probably stems from my growing up and getting lied to and conned, once too often, so these days I am super sensitive to comments and the risk of them being untrue.
PC was created for the very reason of making it appear they are saying one thing, but in reality, they are in fact saying something else.
This is a perfect example of making it appear one is telling the truth, when in fact they are not.
A recent example of PC in action; An American congressman was being interviewed on TV.
A question about the separation of the savings arm and the speculation arm of the bank was asked.
This function is called the 'Glass-Stegall' act.
A very deceptive topic world wide, involving the banks.
Because the President had said he would re-instate, Glass-Steagall, the interviewer sought confirmation of this fact, on live TV.
She asked, 'is the President going to re-instate, Glass-Steagall'?
He answered,'Yes, we are going to introduce a 21st century Glass-Steagall'.
The interviewer, knowing full well he did not answer the question, asked it again and again, five times, before she shut down the interview, quite visibly disgusted and annoyed.
Now on the face of it, it would seem he answered in the affirmative.
But the devil was in the detail.
He should have stopped at 'YES', but he went on to describe something which 'sounded like what she said, but in fact it was something else, in other words, NOT what she said.
This is PC at it's best.

Thanks for that thoughtful feedback to the article. Readers might also be interested in the article 'The Ethics of Lying in the Public Interest', by authors Lynn Pasquerella and Alfred Killilea. Hopefully the link will work, but if not, simply search-engine the title. I think that telling the truth may not be always in the public interest and that not telling the truth may be morally justifiable, but such exceptions need to be carefully scrutinized. James Page. Link: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/sites/default/files/president/docs/EthicsofLying.pdf which argues that lying can be in the public interest.

Dr J Page, I find one of the many reasons for lying is expediency.
Politicians have perfected the art of lying and have given it a name; Political Correctness.
It is expedient for them because when having a discussion or promoting something to the public he will invariably find himself at odds with approx half the audience or public.
To get his message across as quickly as possible with little or no questions or objections, he uses PC thereby saying what the public want to hear and yet also saying what he wanted to say.
Is telling the truth in the public interest?
The answer is not a simple yes or no.
It is both, every situation is unique.

Information is in the public interest if it
assists in the proper functioning of a
democracy. By that I mean if it includes
disclosing information that helps people to
better comprehend or make decisions on
matters of public importance. A democracy requires
its citizens to be able to make informed choices.
If citizens or their representatives are denied
access to the information they need to make these
choices, or if they are given false or
misleading information, the democratic process
may become a sham.

It is therefore important that the media not be
censored, that citizens have the right of free
speech, and that public officials tell the truth.

Therefore defining public interest - as including
but not confined to - detecting and exposing crime,
serious impropriety, protecting public health and
safety, and preventing the public from being
misled by an action or a statement of an
individual or organisation all matter.

Of course society should constantly redefine
what the public interest entails. It changes
over time. For example decades ago it was assumed
that there was a public interest in knowing
what religion an MP was, whether he was gay,
but little interest on whether he drove home
drunk or bashed his wife. Times have changed.
And it will continue to do so. And so it should.

In an age of virtue signalling their appears to be very little appetite for truth these days. The feminist/Marxist believe or at least demonstrate that. Anyone with any real interest in science could not possibly believe the gw lies and scams. Maybe deceived people are incapable of embracing truth. They hung Truth personified on a cross mainly because He exposed those living a lie. Nothing has changed.

runner,

"Judge not ..."

runner,

Do you even know what Marxism and Feminism are about, or
for that matter do you know any Marxists and Feminists?

And why are you putting your own guilt trip onto others.

'They hung Truth personified on a cross mainly because He exposed those living a lie. Nothing has changed.'

thanks for demonstrating that Foxy.

runner,

In that case - you need to stop living
the lie. And follow His teachings of -
"Judge not..."

To Dr. Page.

If you lead with lies, then you can't be surprised when others do the same. It's a corrosive element.

There's no question that there's benifits to lying. Any child almost caught doing what they shouldn't can attest that lying can keep them out of trouble. Moving past that, the same child can find out that by lying they can get what they want by telling people "what they want to hear."

Then there are the limits to these benifits. Lie too much and you are not trusted, or worse, you lose out on privalages and favors because people desciples you for your lies. The bigger the lie the harder the loss of trust. This usually affects those close to us more then those who we never knew and never knew us.

Bring this argument to not just personal gain or loss, but to terms of "the greater good," and you have the situation you seem to be talking about. Benefitual lies for the interests of the public. It can even be romanticized that the hustlers and swindlers are performing a Nobel sacrifice to sacrifice their morals for the greater good.

Don't trust any of those rationales though. A lie is a sign of weakness. Either in you for not being strong enough to stand by the truth, or a sign you think your audience is too weak to know the truth. It's a trap when caught off guard, and it's a poison against others because they lose their trust in you. It's also something that fights being corrected. If a lie gets big enough, or starts big enough, it fights off any truth that could expose it, making it a corrosive element that is best if only allowed for a short term before coming clean, or better still not to get stuck in a lie in the first place.
___________________________________

In my opinion it is better to be patient with the truth and hold solid ground, then to be trigger happy with a lie. If you can't say the truth, don't say anything at all.

People can't handle the truth ! In fact all Leftists prefer sanitised versions of their failed social experiments.

Individual,

It's by experimentation that one gets results.
Sure, some are bound to fail at first, but
one doesn't give up and keeps trying until
one succeeds. Giving up is intellectual
laziness. Nothing is achieved by giving up.

Nothing is achieved by giving up
Foxy,
ditto for perpetual failing !

a popular secular dogma of the 1970's was moral relativism. This irrational dogma taught that you make your own truth. Thats exactly what we have today folk. A baby born with a penis just might be a girl. Whose to say otherwise. Without absolutes trying to define truth is a nonsense.

Individual,

Perpetual failing?

Don't worry - the Liberal Party will get
kicked out at the next election unless
they clean up their mess and change
their tactics.

Foxy,
there you go again. at least the Liberals are draining their swamp, when's labor starting on theirs ?

Individual,

The Liberals are not even aware that they have
a swamp and that they're sitting in it as they
sink.

Foxy,
Well, we'll just have to wait till Labor gets bogged again in its own swamp of idealism.
Problem is that all of us have to cop it sweet again instead of just those who put these saboteurs of economy into office.

Individual,

Lets look to the future with optimism and trust that
the voters will get it right at the next election.
Have a magical Christmas and Enjoy Every Moment.
All The Best for the New Year 2019!

Come on Foxy.

They got rid of Turnbull. He was not only the plug keeping the muck in the swamp, but was most of the slimy gunk filling the thing.

Pity they chose the wrong bloke to replace him, so the drain is only half open.

I think you are right about the next election. The really bad thing is that by then Shorten will owe so many favours to so many people, he will send us broke paying then off with our money, & in any major city we will be playing that "Count the Ozzies" game to try to find someone who speaks English.

Dear Hassie,

Well I'm looking forward to the New Year with Hope
and Goodwill. I'm glad that I don't live in the US.
Australia is still one of the best places to live.
We should count our blessings.

Have a Great Christmas and hopefully a much Better
New Year!

Take care.

Hasbeen, there she goes again.
'Let's look at the future with optimism and trust that they get it right at the next election'.
What a dreamer, what fanciful rhetoric, not an ounce of realism and maturity, in any of Foxy's aspirations and comments.
What she is doing is living in a dream world, and I like what she says, BUT, in the real world, it is NOTHING like she says.
What is the definition of madness; 'Doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome'.
'And trust that the voters will get it right at the next election'.
Why?
What's changed?
They're still the same scum with the same mantra and bad habits, so I'll say it again.
What's changed?
If we had a more realistic, mature and aware public, we would see 'actual' resistance to these pricks, even to the point where some would take up arms and actively engage in causing real and physical harm to the mongrels, with a message, to stop stealing from us to feather their own (and their mates) nest, at our expense, and to top it off they pass laws and make decisions which cost us more so they can reap the financial benefits, (again at our expense).
No the olde' guard can go and get stuffed as far as I am concerned and it should be the same for every Australian, because we are being had again and again, nothing has or will change, without a 'real' attack of some description, forcing them to come back to doing what they were elected to do.
As of late elections, I have chosen to go with independents.
Predominantly those with little or no platform.
Party lines should be abolished and issues should be dealt with on merit and not treated as a wish or shopping list.
Also another scourge has to be destroyed, 'preferences', a bloody stupid idea.
It might work for the pollies, it doesn't work for us (the public),
Gotta go, end of.
I live for the day when there are NO parties, just a bunch of men debating issues.

ALTRAV,

Every accomplishment begins with the decision
to try.

Truth....at what cost?