"The tongue may be employed about, and made to serve all the purposes of vice, in tempting and deceiving, in perjury and injustice"

In his quote, Joseph Butler reviews the flexible and potentially harmful nature of human communication. By concentrating on the "tongue", as a metaphor for speech and communication, Butler highlights its double ability to serve both virtuous and dubious ends. This dichotomy highlights the ethical duty intrinsic in interaction and the ethical ramifications that emerge from how we select to utilize our words.

Initially, Butler discusses that the tongue can be employed in "tempting and deceiving". Here, he is most likely mentioning the ability of speech to manipulate and misinform others. The act of tempting typically includes luring someone into misbehavior or bad decision-making, while deception speaks to the intentional distortion of truth for individual gain. Together, they symbolize how easily language can be corrupted to serve self-centered or immoral purposes, thus triggering harm to relationships and communities.

The reference to "perjury and oppression" further deepens Butler's caution. Perjury, or lying under oath, directly weakens the very structures of justice, as it corrupts the judicial process, which relies greatly on sincere testimony. Similarly, oppression, typically perpetuated through misleading rhetoric or incorrect accusations, highlights how miscommunication can entrench inequality and foster social damage. The tongue, in these contexts, becomes an instrument of distortion rather than clarity, contributing to a cycle of damage and skepticism.

In general, Butler's quote serves as a profound pointer of the ethical imperatives connected to communication. Speech is an effective tool with the capacity to promote reality and foster understanding. Nevertheless, when misused, it can equally serve vice, causing deception, temptation, and oppression. Therefore, individuals need to work out mindful moral judgment in their use of language, recognizing its power to shape human experience and social structures for better or even worse. In essence, Butler requires a conscientious and principled approach to interaction, promoting for truthfulness and justice in all verbal exchanges.