ABSTRACT
Some philosophers, most notably Kant and St Augustine, have defended extreme moral positions in which lying is strictly forbidden in any circumstances. But a moral imperative which says that we must never lie, whatever the circumstances, is not only unlikely to be fulfilled; in some circumstances it can conflict with other imperatives, such as kindness to our fellow-men, or with the public interest. In short, common sense tells us that there are circumstances in which lying is indicated in a good cause. Although there are circumstances in which lying is permissible or even, in a 'good cause', desirable, it does not follow that we may simply say, 'Sometimes lying is wrong and sometimes it isn't', and leave it at that. This is too vague a principle to be relied upon, for it could be used to justify every instance of lying.
