Is deception ever justified

Answer 1

"It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief, if I may so express it, that mental lying has produced in society. When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime." -Thomas Paine Thomas Paine seems to agree with anybody with a sense of morality that deception is never justified. As illustrated in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and James Baldwin's Go Tell it on the Mountain, deception can lead to many other moral "crimes". When people are honest to each other, they keep things basic and straightforward. Both parties know how to deal with a specific problem instantaneously, and they do not have to face difficulties or even surprises in the middle of a situation. If a disclosure should occur, extreme measures are bound to be taken, such as stealing and even murder. Honesty creates a sense of respect to others who are bound to be honest in return, and cannot be considered moral if they take advantage of an hones....