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by FULLTHROTTLE on February 5th, 2007

FULLTHROTTLE

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What does "The end justifies the means" mean to you? And does it apply to the wars we have going on now?

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  • by tripwire on February 5th, 2007

    tripwire

    Yes, it seems to be Bush's mantra. Victory at any price, just as long as he doesn't have to pay personally. "The end justifies the constantly updated means!" Problem is the end never comes.

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  • by JAMMco... its complicated... on February 5th, 2007

    JAMMco... its complicated...

    That expression "The End Justifies the Means" is like a Get Out of Jail Free Card for many people. They feel that as long as they accomplish a goal that is justified (in their minds) what they had to do to achieve it is irrelevant. This is not true. There are many different ways to achieve the same goal, some are acceptable and some are not. In a sporting event the Goal is to win, but if you win by cheating, is it justified? No, because you can win by following the rules.

    The other thing to consider is that this expression implies that the goal will be/or is achieved. That is never determined until it is over, therefore while it is taking place, if you are using questionable means, you do not actually know if they will be justified. What happens when you never achieve the end and you have used unscrupulous means? You've now cost yourself credibility and perhaps now face legal action.

    For example, there are many "dirty" cops out there who bend the law to put the bad guy away. The end result is the bad guy getting put away, but the means violate the law and certain rights of many people (regardless of the kind of people they are). The end result isn't really the putting away of bad guys, it's the deterioration of the trust in the police department and the fear that people will be brutalized by the very institution created to protect them.

    The real question to ask in some instances, like the war for example, is this: Is the "end" really justified, and worthy of even having a "means" put into place?

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  • by Halskiisaklink on February 5th, 2007

    Halskiisaklink

    It does not register. The 'means' justifies itself. And it does not apply in any way to the situation at hand, as much as they'd have you believe it would - it really is much more complicated than that.

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  • by davidschmid10 on February 5th, 2007

    davidschmid10

    To me it means that everything you do to reach your goal is OK. If you believe that the end justifies the means, then you would probably think the wars going on now are OK becuase in order to restore freedom (the end) you have to sacrifice people, money, and time (the means).

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  • by Anonymous on February 5th, 2007

    Anonymous

    Your question has a different answer, as it applies to individual people and situations.

    If your child had been shot and killed , by a drug dealer, would you want this person executed?

    What does the united states hope to accomplish in the war with Iraq? ask five people and you will receive five different answers.

    The answer, overall, is yes.

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