A lie is a lie: the ethics of lying in business negotiations

Sherwood, Charles ORCID: 0000-0003-2649-3248 (2022) A lie is a lie: the ethics of lying in business negotiations. Business Ethics Quarterly, 32 (4). 604 - 634. ISSN 1052-150X

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Abstract

I argue that lying in business negotiations is pro tanto wrong and no less wrong than lying in other contexts. First, I assert that lying in general is pro tanto wrong. Then, I examine and refute five arguments to the effect that lying in a business context is less wrong than lying in other contexts. The common thought behind these arguments—based on consent, self-defence, the “greater good,” fiduciary duty, and practicality—is that the particular circumstances which are characteristic of business negotiations are such that the wrongness of lying is either mitigated or eliminated completely. I argue that all these “special exemption” arguments fail. I conclude that, in the absence of a credible argument to the contrary, the same moral constraints must apply to lying in business negotiations as apply to lying in other contexts. Furthermore, I show that for the negotiator, there are real practical benefits from not lying.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/business-e...
Additional Information:	© 2021 The Author
Divisions:	Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General) H Social Sciences > HF Commerce
Date Deposited:	06 Jan 2022 00:08
Last Modified:	12 Dec 2024 02:42
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/113331

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