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Benevolent Deception

            The principle of respect for autonomy does not apply to people not in a position to act in an autonomous manner. This means that infants, suicidal people, and drug-dependent patients may be validly controlled on the grounds of beneficence to protect them from harm.1 Under the principle of beneficence, the nurse may legitimately restrain a patient from exercising his or her autonomy by trying to jump out a window.3 But people judged mentally incompetent are still capable of making autonomous choices about what they want to eat or what clothes they wish to wear.1 .
             Constraint of a person's autonomy is permissible when the person's choices and actions infringe on the rights and welfare of others.8 Public health officials have detained patients with infectious tuberculosis to prevent spread of the disease.9 More controversial was the holding of more than 200 non-infectious people because they were noncompliant with treatment for periods of up to two years as late as 1993 in New York.9 .
             The intentional limiting of patients" autonomy "for their own good" is the definition of paternalism.5 This is the old-fashioned "doctor-knows-best" attitude of physician to patient. One form of paternalism is benevolent deception, in which the clinician purposely withholds information because, in his or her judgment, the information may be too upsetting for the patient.5 Physicians in the 1970s made unilateral decisions to not treat deformed newborns without consulting the parents because they thought they were saving the parents from the emotional burden of decision. But public outrage when this practice was exposed led to including parents and others in the decision-making process.4 .
             Clinicians may use benevolent deception if they think patients wouldn't want to know their diagnosis. But a number of studies have shown that patients do want to know the truth.10 Clinicians may refrain from telling patients difficult truths because they feel uncomfortable doing so.


Essays Related to Benevolent Deception

1. Deception vs Magic

In every aspect of human life, deception is not only present, but almost necessary. ... She needs to present herself and her daughters as benevolent and gentle woman. ... It is appalling that anyone could do such a thing to poor, sweet, benevolent Cinderella. ... On the flip side of their supposed evil deception, there is Cinderella's righteous deception. In fact, the audience to these stories consider what her deception enables her to do as magic. ...

  • Word Count: 1941
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Cassius Conspiring

Caesar does not deserve to die based on the faulty reasoning and cunning deception Cassius uses against him. ... Caesar would be benevolent since he had had power for quite a while and he had always been benevolent with it. ... His death was based on faulty reasoning and cunning deception on the part of Cassius. ...

  • Word Count: 830
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Development of Drama

Just before Medea kills Jason's wife and father-in-law, she demonstrates to the audience that she is the epitome of deception and lunacy within the influential, Fifth Episode. Medea truly displays a schizophrenic dialogue that entails a roller coaster of emotions that engage an array from a benevolent mother, to a malevolent, mad man. ...

  • Word Count: 413
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Meditations on DesCartes

God can't be the source of our deceptions, we will assume that there exists an evil demon, who is capable of deceiving us in the same way we supposed God to be able. ... But he argues that since all perfections naturally go together, and deception is characteristics of imperfection, it follows that a truly benevolent being has no reason for deceiving him. ... Descartes notes that any errors that he accepted in the past were the result of his own imperfections and limitations and not through an act of divine deception. ...

  • Word Count: 1273
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Why does God allow us to suffer

As Schmitt appears at the pearly gates he demands to know how an all powerful and benevolent God could allow the innocent to suffer in such a way. ... For example, if God is all-powerful and all-benevolent, how could he allow these atrocities to happen? ... Mackie disproves this argument because, if true, God would not be benevolent or sympathetic, qualities believed used to define "wholly good." ... Van Inwagen replies by claiming that protecting us from the worse effects would be a form of deception. ...

  • Word Count: 1762
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Does God exist?

What we can believe in and comprehend is often only shaped by what we can perceive and experience, although we are aware of the deception of human sensations. ... Some would hold that evil should have been eliminated when God is of supreme goodness and is a benevolent presence for us. ... Why didn't God prevent evil if he is infinitely powerful and benevolent? ...

  • Word Count: 1528
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Slavery

People used to be lured into slavery with whips and chains, but now, deception is the only tool used and it has proved to be more effective than weapons. ... Rarely, there will be a benevolent person who is willing to risk imprisonment to save these people by sneaking them away or even just contacting authorities. ...

  • Word Count: 1236
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Ethics and Morality

They also engage in deception, adultery, theft, rape, the production of evils for humans and are enslaved to their desires: "the murderous work of manslaughtering Ares" The significant feature of the gods amorality is, however, their total disregard for the consequences of their actions: Hera says to Hephaestos "it is not right to mistreat an immortal like this for the sake of mortal men" (book 21 pg 344) and their selfish love/lust. ... There is no indication of the benevolent Zeus in the poem- he shows no interest in the supplicants, indeed we see Lycaon killed. ...

  • Word Count: 1739
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Football

They also engage in deception, adultery, theft, rape, the production of evils for humans and are enslaved to their desires: "the murderous work of manslaughtering Ares" The significant feature of the gods amorality is, however, their total disregard for the consequences of their actions: Hera says to Hephaestos "it is not right to mistreat an immortal like this for the sake of mortal men" (book 21 pg 344) and their selfish love/lust. ... There is no indication of the benevolent Zeus in the poem- he shows no interest in the supplicants, indeed we see Lycaon killed. ...

  • Word Count: 1739
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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