Do the ends justify the means? Of course not! There is nothing that is worth everything. But, because a lot of people would say the same thing, and because I have not yet heard an argument from the other side, I have decided to make one.
There are multiple reasons (actually, I could only come up with two, so comment if you come up with another) as to why the ends justify the means and I will give you an example of each. The first (of two) reason as to why the ends justify the means is because of accomplishment, or the "ends". As we all know, there are tons of different ways to get something done and we should pick the right one, morally and efficiently. However, there are very few occasions in which the most efficient way to achieving something is also the most moral. So, it would logically make sense to pick the most efficient, in order to get the most of what is being accomplished. For an example, the annexation of Texas. In order to annex Texas territory from Mexico, the U.S. basically provoked a war and put an end to the issue quickly. Our troops (back then) killed a lot of people and, according to Congress, the war was illegal on our part. However, it would have taken ages to organize a meeting with Santa Ana (Mexican president of the time) and try to work something out. The Mexicans were reluctant to give up Texas and it would have taken forever and wasted a lot of time and resources to get Texas. And even after all of the negotiations, we may not have ended up with all of Texas. So all the cooperation would have been for nothing. Doesn't it just sound better for everyone to just go to war and get the whole thing done with? It's quicker, saves resources, and has the best outcome. So sometimes, the morally correct means can get in the way of obtaining the ends, in which case, the ends would justify the means, moral or not.
The other reason for why the ends justify the means is because we can use the rewards from the ends to justify and correct the means. This can happen in very few situations and even then, it is not entirely morally correct to do. But, let's say you need to accomplish something and to do it, it involves hurting someone close to you. You can hurt who is close to you and then use whatever you gain from the ends to make it up to the person. For an example, you lie to your best friend to keep his or her surprise birthday party a secret. Your friend may be hurt, but they will recover when they find out why you did it. Again, this applies to a few situations, but still, it applies.
So, even though majority may think that the ends don't always justify the means (and I agree) there is still a formidable argument for why the ends can sometimes justify the means. But, after writing (typing) this argument, I have realized that it all depends on the person- whether the person cares about morals or not. We are all different and we all have our personalities and views and it is really important for us to see the other side of an argument or situation from someone else's perspective because it can help us see (and hopefully correct) the flaws in ourselves.
-Jalees N.
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