Philosophy for Children Part Five: Immanuel Kant and Honesty
Lying doesn’t just mean saying something false, it also means deceiving someone.
Immanuel Kant was a famous German philosopher who lived a long time ago. He believed that people should always tell the truth and never lie.
According to Kant, a lie does not only mean saying something false and untrue, but also means deceiving someone. When you cheat on someone, you treat them like a tool instead of a person. Kant thought it was wrong to treat people this way (using others as a tool). Kant valued human beings and used the concept of “categorical necessity” based on which every human being should be respected.
Therefore, according to him, it was a “certainty” that you should only do things that you would like others to do. For example, if you don’t want someone to steal from you, then you shouldn’t steal either. Therefore, if you tell a lie, then you have violated the law of certainty, because you do not want others to lie to you. A society ruled by lies is unlivable because if everyone lies, trust or communication will no longer be formed in the society and life will become more difficult for everyone.
Kant thought a lie was a bad thing because it created a world of confusion and mistrust. When people don’t trust each other, they can’t cooperate or do good work or make good decisions.
He also believed that lying can have serious consequences, as a result of which people may be seriously harmed.
For example, if someone lies about a dangerous situation, then there is a possibility that those who believe the lie will be harmed.
In general, Kant believed that it is always better to tell the truth, even if it is difficult.
We should know that every time we tell a lie, we are harming the truth and in fact we are harming ourselves because the mind gets confused by lying.
Thinking station:
- If you have eaten chocolate before your meal and your mother asks you. Are you saying that you haven’t eaten?
- If your friend is wearing ugly clothes. Do you tell her that she is beautiful?
- If you get rich by telling a lie. Are you willing to lie?
- If you can save someone’s life by telling a lie. are you lying
