Well Kaz, you mentioned all the attributes I see that make a decent person... but truth as it has been shown has it downsides through these examples. C4 said it best
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1) How much would the individual be negatively/positively affected by the truth?
2) How much would the person, looking at the situation objectively, mind being lied to if he/she knew about it.
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If I know that the truth is something that will hurt that person... I try my best to avoid it completey with them. But if that fails then a little lie for the time being is acceptable. However if it's been brought up directly by them (which would then answer how they would react when lied to about it) I will tell them as tactfully I can. Euphemisms can go a long way. However you also have to account for how you will feel hidding such truth from someone else. I am the type to just hide my own emotions so that it will not hurt another. I just can't bring myself to hurt another when I could just as easily deal with the effects.
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Originally Posted by Asaris
...you can't make general laws about ethics, because it's just too damn complex. So you need to just be familiar with what a virtuous life looks like, and navigate your way by feel and intuition at least as much as by cold logic.
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Some of us try regardless. :-/ I say virtue would include to know when it is best to lie and when to tell the truth. I know I wished that some of my friends had bent the truth about certain events... but they hadn't and I dealt with it nonetheless.