One Apple A Day #934 - Do the ends justify the means?
"The ends justify the means" is commonly attributed to Macchiavelli, an Italian Renaissance diplomat, philosopher and writer.
Apparently, he wrote that in his book The Prince.
In reality, the "ends" he was talking only about is the wellbeing of the country. His idea was that a prince, being a servant of the state, should be ready to go even against his own ethic to do what is good for the state. In short, to do something wrong for the greater good.
Over the centuries, we stretched this perspective to say that everything is justified as long as we get the results.
We probably all agreed that it's not the best attitude when the ends are egoic or just bad.
But what about good causes?
What if my goal is a good one? If I am fighting for something that will benefit the collective?
In that case, should I use any means possible no matter what? Or is the how as important as the why and the what?
If I am playing against someone who doesn't play fair, should I use the same approach and increase my chances to win, or should I stay true to my values, play fair and most probably lose?
I know, I am the only one who can ask this question for myself.
However, it feels good to just acknowledge it.