For although the act condemns the doer, the end may justify him see more related quotes. The end justifies the means idioms by the free dictionary. The ninth rule of the ethics of means and ends is that any effective means is automatically judged by the opposition as being unethical. The basic interpretation of the end justifies the means is. The first sign of corruption in a society that is still alive is that the end justifies the means.
The origin of the phrase the end justifies the means is unknown. In the prince, machiavelli is clearly warned against any attempt to turn what is, because machiavellis philosophy comes from the nature of men. The line, often adopted by strong men in controversy, of justifying the means by the end. This page lists english translations of notable latin phrases, such as veni vidi vici and et cetera. Wikimatrix a pious fraud can be counterfeiting a miracle or falsely attributing a sacred text to a biblical figure due to the belief that the end justifies the means, in this case the end of increasing faith by whatever means.
Probably the closest machiavelli gets to expressing this view is in chapter xviii of the prince. His poem does contain a line that can be translated as the. Many ethicists question whether this approach is moral. Full transcription and quotation can be found here heroides, ii, 85. Consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of ones conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness or wrongness of that conduct. His poem does contain a line that can be translated as the result justifies the deed or the ends justify the means. The end justifies the means is a phrase of sergey nechayev, the 19th century russian revolutionary. Contextual translation of the ends justify the means into latin. End justifies the mean idioms by the free dictionary. This fiery man, who translated the entire bible into latin, called the vulgate, said this in the 48th letter to a guy named pammachius ab. The idea is ancient, but it was not meant to justify unnecessary cruelty. If both the means and the ends are equally noble and good, there is no question because the ends are justified by the means. The latin phrase exitus acta probat translates into english as the outcome justifies the deed.
Does the end justify the means essay examples 1279 words. Latin phrases, latin quotes, latin mottos and latin maxims. The alqaeda attacks on september 11, which brought down new york citys twin towers, provoked the american governments vow to hunt down these terrorists, and punish them. Translate the ends justify the means in latin in context. It certainly appears as far back as the latin writer, ovid 43 bc ad 1718. Exitus acta probat from heroides the heroines, ii, 85. The story is compelling, the characters are well developed, and the twists and turns are well thought out and unexpected. The idea that one should strive to achieve the greatest benefits derived from the least possible cost expended. The exception confirms the rule in cases which are not excepted. Another possible origin is that of heroides, by the latin writer ovid, who lived from 43 b. Now often used when comparing any current situation to a past story or event. The end justifies the means is an expression that is often used in society to validate or excuse distasteful and objectionable actions undertaken by its people. This means actions people take are justified regardless of how they go about achieving their desired end result. It means that if a goal is morally important enough, any method of getting it is acceptable.
The principle of human behavior today cannot be the end justifies the means but rather we must have good goals and an equally good means to. The end justifies the means 24 translations armenian. The outcome justifies the deed in englishlatin dictionary. In the end, all anyone can ever do is strive to make an informed decision based on the best evidence, and then act accordingly, even though the best evidence will never guarantee certainty. This is a possibility with any form of utilitarianism when the greatest good for the greatest number approach is stressed. In the example of an officer inflicting pain to apprehend a violent suspect, it isnt that the end justifies the evil means, but rather, the means isnt even evil to begin with. Widely attributed to machiavellis the prince, which does reflect this philosophy but does not.
What is the origin of the quote the end justifies the means. The end justifies the means definition is used to say that a desired result is so good or important that any method, even a morally bad one, may be used to achieve it. In its true sense, in which it is accepted by almost all moralists, it means that a good and holy purpose bestows a higher moral value upon means that are. Niccolo machiavelli said, the ends justify the means. Or, the if the glory of god and the fulfillment of his wishes is the end, then burning people who are in the way of this is justified. The danger in thinking that the end justifies the means lies in making a judgment we have no right to make. Definition of end justifies the mean in the idioms dictionary. We do not believe that the end justifies the means but that the means prefigure the end. At the beginning of an action i might not be able to determine whether that action is morally right or wrong, but when the morally right goal is successfully achieved. The end justifies the means meaning in the cambridge. Thus, from a consequentialist standpoint, a morally right act or omission from acting is one that will produce a good outcome, or consequence. End justifies the means, the definition of end justifies.
It should be obvious to all thinking latterday saints that the wrong means can never attain that objective. Needless to say, such a concept existed well before the time of. It is incorrectly assigned to machiavelli, when it should be to ovid. Latinum latin svenska swedish dansk danish suomi finnish.
The end justifies the means definition of the end justifies the. The end justifies the means idiom, english 24 translations armenian, croatian, finnish, french, german, greek, hungarian, italian, latin, persian, polish. It is indeed right to inflict a just amount of force and punishment to those who by their behaviour, necessitate the force and punishment levied upon them. It forever established the principle that even for the greatest of all ends, eternal life, the means are critical. It was later picked up and used to justify murderous acts by lenin and stalin. The end justifies the means definition is used to say that a desired result is so good or important that any method, even a morally bad one, may be used to. Although mostly attributed to machiavelli, the phrase the end justifies the means is not one of his creation. Translate the end justifies the means in latin in context. The outcome justifies the deed eudict englishlatin. The question whether the end justifies the means depends on the type of goal or end a person wants to achieve and the means they use. Moore is a thrilling tale that will keep the reader guessing to the very end.
Originally it referred to the end of romes dominance. End justifies the means the greek playwright sophocles wrote in electra c 409 b. End justifies the means, the definition of end justifies the means. End justifies the means, the definition at, a free online dictionary with pronunciation, synonyms and translation. In effect, the phrase is a justification for dispensing with all morality and principle in the passage towards a successful conclusion. What does the end justifies the means expression mean. The ends justifying the means usually involves doing something wrong to achieve a positive end and justifying the wrongdoing by pointing to a good outcome. Justifies definition, to show an act, claim, statement, etc.
Marys catholic high school in dubai, united arab emirates. Niccolo machiavelli never said, the ends justify the means, although he did allude to a complex version of the concept in his prince and other works. An example would be lying on a resume to get a good job and justifying the lie by saying the larger income will enable the liar to provide more adequately for his family. The reader will not want to put this book down i know that i did not. Machiavelli gives a complex answer to this fundamental politic problem. I have sinned greatly in thought, word, and deed, through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault from the catholic mass. The phrase, the end justifies the means, means that doing morally wrong actions can be justifiable if the outcome is morally correct, but can it. For example, hes campaigning with illegal funds on the theory that if he wins the election the end will justify the means, or the officer tricked her into admitting her guiltthe end sometimes justifies the means. Some of the phrases are themselves translations of greek phrases, as greek rhetoric and literature reached its peak centuries before the rise of ancient rome this list covers the letter f. Results for the end justifies the means translation from english to latin. If the end justifies the means, then spurious ends, such as the supremacy of the third reich, and justify unethical means, such as destroying anyone who gets in the way of this end.
Widely attributed to machiavellis the prince, which does reflect this philosophy but does not use the phrase in this wording. But there are always costs toand therefore victims ofany government action. Where did machiavelli say that the ends justify the means. Contextual translation of the end justifies the means into latin. Hofling and zimbardos prison experiment 1279 words cram. For someone who has high morals, the end would not justify the means and vice versa. Machiavelli said, the ends justify the means fact or myth. The end justifies the means simple english wikipedia. Definition of the end justifies the means in the idioms dictionary. Morality is defined by the individual, and can also be reflected by ones religion. This fiery man, who translated the entire bible into latin, called the vulgate, said this in the 48th letter to.