Is Honesty the Best Policy?

We can define honesty as a virtue, and ethics and integrity are some reasons we consider it in this way. However, is honesty the best policy?

Why do people value honesty?

When we are honest, we maintain trust in our relationships. If we are not, few of them would survive. This applies to friendships, romantic partnerships and colleagues at work. It reduces conflict, increases clarity, maintains harmony and lets others know where they stand. If we are honest, it gives us a level of self-respect, which makes others respect us too, and it improves our reputation. We solve problems better if we are honest, as a child will not learn in school if their teacher does not point out the mistakes in their work. Another example would be not being sincere about being able to meet a deadline on time. It benefits everyone on a team to be honest, and they can work together to solve the problem and meet the deadline. The same applies when making personal mistakes that are not found until further down the line where it is more difficult to put right, and this can be medical or working in a company.

When does honesty do harm?

There are examples when being honest harms another. If we are out with a friend and they ask our opinion of an outfit they are trying on and we were to say it looked awful, it would hurt them. We would need to say it in a more constructive way that would protect their feelings. Honesty can violate someone’s privacy if we were to disclose something another did not want disclosed. Some people are uncomfortable with the truth. In survival situations, sometimes being truthful is not the best idea if dealing with a person who is abusive or someone who is threatening.

Image by Muhammad Haseeb Muhammad Suleman from Pixabay

Autism and Honesty

Autism does not make someone more or less honest. We often see autistic people as being more honest, but in fact it is the different way of communicating that makes it seem that this is the case. Direct and accurate communication, less likely to do it for social advantages, it is more demanding, feeling more guilt, less confident about lying and logical thinking.

Final Thoughts

Honesty can have negative and positive consequences. There are situations where honesty is the best way to deal with an event and others where it is not. It is best to decide on the right course of action. If we are not honest when we should be, we can sometimes end up getting deeper into problems, and telling a little white lie can be a matter of survival.

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