Stacy Murray is a communications major at a large state university. Last week the professor in her required senior seminar presented a variety of ethical theories for student consideration. Stacy had always regarded philosophical discussions as a waste of time, but after today’s experiences she’s not so sure. During the last twelve hours she has faced the following four situations in which lying seemed an attractive alternative:
1. The department chairman came in at the end of Stacy’s morning TV production class to gather students’ anonymously written evaluations of their instructor, who is under review. Stacy likes the young man who is the instructor and knows that he cares about students, but as a teacher of media technique he is hopelessly disorganized and inept. Should she ignore or downplay her instructor’s defects so that he won’t be in danger of losing his job, or should she tell the truth?
2. During a quick lunch in the student union, Stacy was approached by a student she knows slightly from her senior seminar. He told her he headed a group of students tutoring inner-city children every Tuesday night and asked her to volunteer. Stacy has always thought of this student as a bit of a jerk and she is wary of being in the city after dark. Because she doesn’t want to voice either of these feelings, Stacy is tempted merely to say that she is too busy.
3. The telephone rang while Stacy was having dinner with her roommate, Michelle, in their apartment. As Stacy reached to pick up the phone, Michelle blurted out, "If that’s Sean, tell him I’m not here." Of course the next words Stacy heard were, "Hi, this is Sean. Is Michelle there?" As unfair as her roommate’s plea might be, Stacy knows that a truthful answer will lead to a fight with Michelle.
4. When Stacy got back from studying at the library that evening, the graduate student in the next apartment asked her over for a beer. She accepted. Ordinarily Harold is a nice guy, but that night he was acting belligerent because he’d had too much to drink. When he started talking about taking his car out for a drive, Stacy was able to sneak his keys off the desk and put them in her pocket. A few minutes later he asked accusingly, "Did you take my keys?"