Is it ethically wrong to pretend to firmly hold the views of others?
Recently a certain person admitted to pretending to have the views of others in order to get a reaction from a specific group online.
He did not accept being admonished or see anything intrinsically wrong with this.
That may be a hard question to answer regarding ethics as that can be complex. For instance there is situational ethics as a branch within it. That is briefly "the doctrine of flexibility in the application of moral laws according to circumstances". Perhaps that is what is being considered?
I can remember many times in the workplace where I 'had' to accept a view regarding a direction being taken by leadership. In order to complete some task, which could be leading others, a premise must be of least acknowledged. Then that is acted upon with some faith with trust, even though there may be lack of belief. Next, is that pretending?
There is an old adage floating about that goes like this, "Fake it until you make it". I don't know if any of the above answers the question really, yet hopefully it offers thought.
It's a start. I was referring to a hub author trying to manipulate people's reactions by deliberately and falsely misrepresenting their own stance. It seems shifty at best and fraudulent at worst.
If this were the case, everyone who believes in anything would be in trouble. From the beginning of life you are taught what to think and this is essential for you to deal with the world. So in fact, everything you believe and know is from others.
I can answer you in a spiritual way. One should generally be running away from darkness, and into the Light; away from the room of the mind, to the sanctum of the Heart. One should never do what makes one weak. What matters is Sincerity of Purpose; Purity of Intent ... these are all inner states.
If you are looking to shoot a man who has ran inside my house for shelter, I may tell you that I saw him running down the road. I would be lying, of course, but also saving that man's life. My motive here, was not to lie, but to preserve life. That is why the Saints say speak the Truth, but never a cruel Truth.
If you tell me that my wife is unfaithful, I may take her life. This would be a terrible thing to live with, even if you were right. So it is said, " A Truth that is told with bad intent, beat all the lies that man invent." (unknown)
The essence of what I'm saying is that inner motive or purity of intent, is always more important. God looks at the Heart, not the outer shell. Actions by themselves have no power. What matters in action, is always a vibrant awareness, of the power of Spirit.
Finally, with a knife I may stab someone, or I may use it to cook food and peel fruits; I may say: "Thank you!" with one motive, and the same 'Thank you' with intention to hurt. Do you get my drift now? It is the Heart that knows, always ... and the voice of Conscience, which is none other than the voice of God. They are the greatest Judges.
Let all your actions, be guided by a clear Conscience and with a wholesome goal in mind, then even the mistakes will become sweet.
by Sundeep Kataria 11 years ago
Should one pretend to be happy even when one is not. Why ? Are there any advantages?
by jerami 14 years ago
I'd like to try something Can we "Temporarily" imagine or "pretend" if ya like that phrase better, that the second coming as it has been taught, came long ago? Just pretend and see where it goes?? Temporarily forget all of our preconceived ideas. ...
by Devika Primić 11 years ago
Why are Fake people awful to others and pretend to be friendly when deep down they are just ruthlessFake people hurt others and don't think much about it instead they enjoy what they do while the victim is hurt and feels left out of their group.
by Moon Daisy 12 years ago
Hi,Around a week ago, (could be longer, I don't always check), I noticed that my daily page view figures had suddenly plummeted from several hundred to just tens. Of course this could be explained away by an overnight drop in my hub popularity - except for the fact that I'm also getting...
by Ben G 14 years ago
I've been noticing lately that HubPages is saying I'm getting a good amount of traffic but the stats on Analytics aren't anywhere near that.Makes me think I'm getting back to how things use to be before the Google slap, but that's really not the case.So for some reason it's counting hits that...
by hsuman 14 years ago
how 2 stop being hurt remembering the past???m dying every single day of her smiling face and the care she used to give.....how many times should i pretend to be all right and try to console myself......i was all true n she was too.....
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