the ends justify the means
Outcomes excuse methods
The ends justify the means is a moral argument that achieving a good outcome makes the methods used to reach it acceptable, even if those methods would otherwise be wrong.
The phrase typically carries skeptical or critical weight—someone invoking it is often being accused of rationalizing unethical behavior: He claimed the ends justified the means, but people got hurt.
The principle is associated with Machiavelli, though he never used these exact words.
- realpolitikPolitics prioritizing practicality over ethics
- consequentialismEthics judging by results
- teleologyStudy of purpose in nature
- ends and meansObjectives and their approaches
- MachiavellianismCunning, amoral statecraft
by any means necessary · win at all costs · utilitarianism · greater good · moral dilemmas · calculated risk · moral relativism · unintended consequences · slippery slope · moral accountability · necessary evil · propaganda · cost-benefit analysis · ethical integrity · human rights violations · expediency · military tactics · social engineering
the ends justify the meansdo no harm
Avoid causing injury
clean hands · above reproach · do the right thing · scrupulous · by the book
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