The end does justify the means if the end is truly meritorious

The righteousness in reaching ones goal through questionable means is a moral dilemma for some and an issue of debate for students in ethics. This issue doesnt have a black or white universal answer; the ethical permissibility of each particular situation has to be judged differently.

Overspeeding of a vehicle to get someone critically injured to the hospital, bribing of officials to ascertain their approval to some socially beneficial project, assassination of tyrants are some examples of deviations from the rulebook to varying degrees. Human beings tend to act according to the constraints imposed by situation. Depending on the direness of the situation, such measures might be justified. Delaying a few mintues in reaching the hospital might cost the life of the critically injured. In corruption-laden places where nothing moves without bribing, with ineffective or absent grievance or regulatory mechanism, it might be the only way out. Failing to act definitively against a tyrant may cause massacres or genocides in which entire communities or populations are wiped out.

However, whether or not there is merit or nobility in the objective is itself a relative concept dependent on the perspective of the individual judging it. To consider some extreme examples, terrorists and psychopaths might find ultimate meaning in death and destruction of civilian lives and property. Unscrupulous CEOs may hold maximum profitability as the holy grail of his/her business with complete disregard to social and environmental issues. Whether it is genuinely necessary to achieve a goal must be judged taking into account the short and long term social, economic and environmental consequences of doing so. There are entire subjects like professional ethics, industrial ethics and the like devoted to guide us through dilemmas of such kind.

Even with best intentions however, breaking rules might pronounce disaster. Overspeeding might endanger the life of the driver as well as others. Sometimes, after external intervention to prevent atrocities by criminally tortuous regimes, the country becomes leaderless, falls in the hands of warring factions and descends into civil war. Paying bribes definitely strengthens the corruption prevalent, especially if it comes from a top official. Weighing all pros and cos is necessary before breaking a rule.

Thus, human discretion is must.