KantMill

What if telling the truth brings the person to suicide? Is telling him/her the truth a moral action, even though its consequence is a wrongful act? If telling the person the truth drives her to commit suicide, it seems like no rational being would will the maxim to become a universal law. According to the Categorical Imperative, the suicide has no relevance on whether telling the truth is moral. But the only reason the lie works is because the person being lied to believes it to be the absolute truth. Yet the analysis still rests on predicted consequence rather than on the action's intrinsic moral value. On the other hand, some may think that in telling the loved one the lie, you will spare him/her years of torment and suffering. Mill equated happiness with pleasure. Therefore, I consider Kant's Universal Law Formation of the Categorical Imperative to be a better test of morality than Mill's Utilitarianism. A man named John Stuart Mill brought about utilitarianism. It resonates with my moral sensibilities to consider that actions are moral or immoral regardless of their immediate consequences. However, the suicide is a consequence of your initial action. In some situations, it might be better to tell the truth, and according to utilitarianism that would then be the moral action. There is no fluctuating in individual cases to determine whether an action is moral or not. Regardless of what the family member does with the information or the loved one’s death, the act of telling her the truth is a moral one. Every decision is made on an individual basis and in every specific situation.