There are many people who lie everyday for various reasons. Some believe it is acceptable to lie, and others think it is wrong. People who are subjective believe that right and wrong are purely a matter of feeling or taste; in other words whatever a person or group feels is right, is right. People who believe in ethical objectivism think that morals go beyond personal taste. They say what is right and wrong does not mean that all things are equally justified or acceptable.
A common issue that many people face in the workplace is the matter of taking a sick day when in reality the employee is just taking a day off of work. This situation becomes an argumentative issue because of the fact that they are lying to get the day off. Some people view this as unethical and others do not see any problems with it. People who view this situation subjectively would say that if the employee does not believe it is wrong, then it is acceptable to lie to take a day off. People who view this objectively would say it is wrong to lie to take a day off of work. In the essay “Reason Can Discover Ethical Truths,” Thomas Nagel provides evidence from an objective standpoint to prove that this situation is morally wrong.
Nagel claims that moral statements are objectively true, much like scientific statements (183). In the case of the employee lying to take a day off of work Nagel would suggest to look at the situation from another point of view. Nagel goes on to say, “One is seeking the right answer. One is trying to decide . . . not just what I should do but what this person should do. The same answer should be given to that question by anyone to whom the data are presented, whether or not he is in your circumstances and shares your desires. This is what gives practical [moral] reason its generality” (187). This statement by Nagel is telling the employee to look at the situation from his bosses and co-workers point of views. The bosses point of view would show...