In most cultures, lying is viewed disdainfully, so I can see why this question could cause some controversy; however, the response to the question was unanimous: yes, it is morally acceptable. I was unsure, though, if the question appealed to either a logical argument or an emotional one within the minds of my classmates. For myself, I answered "yes" because I imagined a scenario where lying would be applied logically in order to achieve the best possible outcome. For instance, if a criminal entered my home and asked me if anyone else was in the house, then I would answer "no" because that would increase the chances of survival for everyone inside the house, including myself. You could also spin that same scenario in an emotional way, saying something along the lines of "no, because my family/friends are in the house and I care for them."
Regardless of the reasoning, most people find it morally acceptable to lie if it benefits other people. It provides a good excuse for such a "despicable" act, making it appear noble instead of malicious. In the context of the question, I view lying as a tool, not a necessary evil.
I find the use of lying to be viewed far more maliciously than it should be. No one in their life has ever gone a sustained period of time without telling some sort of lie. There is no reason for that to be automatically a bad thing either. To me a lie is just like any other action taken toward someone. Yes you can lie to hurt people and it does happen but you can do countless other things to hurt them too and chose not to. Basically lying is inevitable to me. It can be something as large scale as your robbery scene or something as small as just not wanting to answer a question "truthfully" because you find no reason to do so. It is annoying how upset people get over being told they are being lied to or that they have been lied to. I for one can say if I have spoken to you on more than one occasion I have most likely lied to you in some way. That is not to say you should not trust me, i'm just being honest. There are days when people do not wish to talk to much which may bring them to lie to end a conversation. Or perhaps you do not see someone all to often and you embellish your accomplishments in the time between meetings. I may be the outlier on this topic but to me I know I have been lied to before no matter the scale of the lie, and I know I have lied to people before. It has not lost me any friendships or relationships because I do not lie maliciously I just bend the truth when I find it logically acceptable. So I guess I agree with you Matt lying is a good tool-to be used at given times.
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