Re: Honesty

Brian D Harper (bharper@postbox.acs.ohio-state.edu)
Sat, 31 Jan 1998 23:29:09 -0500

At 06:04 PM 1/31/98 -0500, Gordie wrote:
>Burgy wrote:
>> Carter's book, which I continue to endorse, includes some content with
>> which I disagree. But one critical review hardly makes the case. Have you
>> read the book?
>
>No, I have not read the book. I first became aware of the book yesterday
>when I read your response to Tom Pearson. I must say that your response
>came across to me as astounding. (But I respect you.) So, doing the next
>best thing, I looked for book reviews and found the one by Barbara
>Ehrenreich. What she said struck me as careful and knowledgeable. And she
>comes to what seems to me as a reasonable assessment.
>
>Burgy, you have not really responded to her concerns. Instead, you have
>attempted to dismiss it with the comment "one critical review hardly makes
>the case." It might.
>
>Look. I am willing to stipulate that there are extreme examples such as
>your 1938 Berlin example when practicing honesty is problematic. But
>Christians have responded to such situations in varying ways.
>
>What comes out of a variety of examples, I believe, is this:
>
>1. "Honesty" is seldom ambiguous, but can be difficult to apply.
>
>2. In contrast, what constitutes "integrity" is highly subjective -- even
>in the cases you cite. Does this not bother you? Given human nature, it
>certainly bothers me.
>
>I suggest you read or reread Corrie tin Boom's _The Hiding Place_. Some
>Christians were scrupulously honest when few of us would be, and God
>honored it. Others were not, and God honored that. So your case against
>honesty seems less than obvious.
>

Hello Gordie.

I really appreciate your comments as well as those of Burgy
and others. I tend to side with Burgy at least wrt what
the right thing to do is. But let me add quickly that
I was not there and would not dare stand in judgement of
those placed in this terrible situation, no matter what
they decided to do.

I have no illusions about who would be responsible for
the deaths of these people were I to turn them in.
Of course it is the Nazis who bear this responsibility.
But this seems to me small compensation. What would I
say as they were taken from my house? Don't worry,
my conscience is clear? It seems to me that insisting
on strict honesty in this situation comes down to
weighing one's own honesty and integrity as being of
more value than someone else's life. I believe people
are more important than ideals. Many of us might be
willing to give our lives to save the lives of others
in a situation like this, indeed to lie in this case
would certainly risk death. If we would give our lives
why wouldn't we sacrifice our honesty and our morality
for the sake of someone else? Is being a moral person
more important than someone's life?

Brian Harper
Associate Professor
Applied Mechanics
The Ohio State University

"It is not certain that all is uncertain,
to the glory of skepticism." -- Pascal