Webster’s Dictionary defines lying as “an assertion of something known or believed by the speaker to be untrue with the intent to deceive.” Although there are many definitions of what lying is they are often condemned wrong by many philosophers. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy describes one definition of lying as being the most widely accepted definition. “A lie is a statement made by one who does not believe it with the intention that someone else shall be led to believe it.” The reason this definition is often accepted by most is because in order to object and revise this definition in anyway one must first explain the four imperative conditions for lying. An individual must first make a statement, the individual must believe the …show more content…
The individual telling the respectable lie does not lie for any type of personal gain or satisfaction. In Judith Viorst piece The Truth about Lying, states the reason why people tell respectable, or protective lies, is because “they are often convinced that the truth would be too damaging.” Judith Viorst goes on to state that “they lie because they feel there are certain human values that supersede the wrong of having lied.” An example Judith Viorst uses to describe this type of lie is parents lying to their children about their marital status. The couple may not be want to inform their children of their failing marriage to avoid the possibility of any emotional damages the truth may cause. Another example of a respectable lie would be a combat medic lying to a dying Soldier in order to keep the Soldier calm so they may pass away in peace.
An excusable can be described as a lie that is understandable and inconsequential. This specific type of lie is universally known as a white lie. An excusable lie does not always cause harm to any one person. Instead, this type of lie is most times used by an individual who is lying to avoid blame or punishment. An example would be a Soldier showing up late to physical training because they over slept and then telling their Sargent they were late because they had a flat tire. In The Truth about Lying, Judith Viorst discusses social lies. She stated that most people she talked to
Sandel believes this to be the case because a misleading truth shows respect for the moral law and motive of duty. However, the truth leads us to the facts of things they are in their original states. I see that a lie means to change and manipulate these facts, whereas a misleading truth tends to avoid these facts. Morally, if things are in bad states and could lead to a serious danger, we tend to a misleading truth. I believe that the fundamental difference between a lie and a misleading truth is that if one questions a liar, it does not matter how skillfully one crafts his questions, he will never obtain the true version of the information he seeks.
For example, in the article,”The U.S Political campaign” it states Anna Frank survived as long as she did because people lied.(1) Since the people lied Anna Frank survived. This shows that lying can save a life. In addition, Harold Smith, 64, lied to his daughter about his health. He states,”why get her all traumatized? I tried to protect her.”(3) Since Smith lied to his daughter, she didn’t have to worry. This is showing an example of someone protecting others from harm. In conclusion, lying can be acceptable when people stay safe.
Deception occurs when information is knowingly and intentionally for the purpose of creating a false belief in the receiver (Floyd, 2016 p.375). Depending on an individual’s upbringing lying can have someone felling guilt and nervousness. Lies allow us to be afraid of the truth while we try to find an escape from the problem. Growing up I can recall how worried I felt when I told a lie, that fear of being caught and the consequences that might come from someone finding out. Now as I grow old my feelings are still in the same place, however, I my learning through my experiences that lying doesn't just deceive the receiver but I can deceive myself. I feel regret when I tell a lie no matter the reason or circumstances it can never be rationalized, I’m still creating a false reality.
A lie is considered a false statement given to fool someone. At some point throughout the day everyone will stretch the truth. Are lies just really some version of the truth or are they bold and deliberate? Lying is discussed in-depth in "The Ways We Lie" by Stephanie Ericsson and in the article "Is Lying Bad for Us" by Richard Gunderman. The two articles discuss the types of lies, reasons people lie and the consequences suffered by all. It can be determined after reading the texts that lying causes undue stress and telling the truth is beneficial in more ways than one.
Once people know that a person habitually lies, they do not take that person as seriously. Being honest demonstrates self-respect and respect for others. Honesty is appealing and engaging to others. Honesty also sets a good example for people who look up to that person. People will become closer and have faith in an authentic person. An honest person invites authentic and real friendships. Imagine if a friend overhears a lie told by another peer, it is possible that it could damage the relationship. It can be difficult to regain their trust once they are aware of the regular lying. People frequently tell lies to bypass sharing truths that feel uncomfortable or awkward. Lying should be avoided because it is important to share true judgment and care for others. Lying typically ruins relationships whether they are personal or work-related. It is clear that lying creates skepticism and disbelief. Most people will stop asking liars for advice on personal issues because they know they will not get truthful information. Friendships are often broken because of lies that get too big to keep lying about. Lying hides who people really are. People should try to keep a clean slate by staying honest, especially when there are consequences. Lying gets rid of credibility, yet people seem to lie more
Lying can save you in severe situations such as life or death. Elie lied about his age and said he was eighteen instead of fifteen. “‘Your age?’ he asked, perhaps trying to sound paternal. ‘I'm eighteen.’ My voice was trembling.” (Wiesel 31). Not telling exact information to strangers about yourself can prevent bad things from happening. He told the doctor he was sick so he didn’t have to get his crown taken. His crown could buy him an extra ration of bread and soup, so he decided it’d be smart to keep it. He said he was a farmer because it could save him from being killed immediately. Lying is one of many ways that can help people survive in certain situations.
Lying can be described as the act of telling an untruth, but just when is it ok to lie? In the articles, “It’s the Truth: Americans Conflicted About Lying,” from Life on NBCNEWS.com, and “Brad Blanton: Honestly, Tell the Truth,” by Barbara Ballinger, it provides evidence that leads me to believe that lying is acceptable when you do it to protect a relationship or someone from a life or death situation.
In this article Stephanie Ericsson quoted "We lie. We all do. We exaggerate, minimize, we avoid confrontation, we spare people's feelings, we conveniently forget, we keep secrets, small falsehoods and still think of myself as an honest person." She said that these lies don't hurt anyone mentally but she also feels they might really do hurt mentally. The answer to that question is when someone lies to their victim; the victim loses
Lying today is quite a disregarded subject, causing its reputation enough to make people uneasy. Most are taught at a young age that lying is substandard, lousy, or even cheap, and that you should never use it to your benefit. Of course we don’t want to be a lousy person, but what about lying makes it so? Why is it considered so immoral and frowned upon by many social norms? Luckily for us there are two very appealing essays that help us crack these baffling questions. In these essays, they define the meaning of a lie, why we always seem to use them, and if they are actually bad for us. In Stephanie Ericsson’s The Ways We Lie it talks about the different types of lies, how and why we use them and what consequences can be followed by each lie. Also, adding clarity is Richard Gunderman’s article Is Lying Bad for Us that talks about how people lie to cope with things, but also expresses how lying might be bad for our physical or mental health.
Lying the one form of communication that is the untruth expressed to be the truth. Immanuel Kant states that lying is morally wrong in all possible ways. His hatred for lying has made him “just assumed that anyone who lied would be operating with a maxim like this: tell a lie so as to gain some benefit.”(Landau,pp.171) This is true for a vast number of people, they will lie in order to gain a certain benefit from the lie rather than the truth.It is similar to if you play a game of truth or dare, some rather pick a dare because it would release them from having to tell the truth. However, those who do pick truth still have a chance to lie to cover up the absolute truth.People lie in order to cover who they truly are. Even if you lie to benefit someone or something else, it would not matter to Kant because he does not care for the consequences. If you lie but have a good intention it is not the same for Kant, he would argue that you still lied no matter the consequence that a lie is a lie. “ While lying, we accuse others for not being transparent. While being hypocrites ourselves, we expect others to be sincere.” (Dehghani,Ethics) We know how it feels to be lied to by a person, so in order to not have the feeling returned, we hope the person will be truthful. We rather be surrounded by truthful people constantly despite all the lies that some people tell. No
Deception is a vague term as deception can be used to help people or it can be used to hurt people. In Huckleberry Finn, Huck tells a white lie in order to help his friend Jim. However, lying can also cause pain. Lying can hurt others and hurt one’s reputation. Some believe that if you cheat or lie once then people would always be skeptical of you.
Lying is sometimes justified. Some may feel that lying is never acceptable because it is morally wrong, however, I believe lying is acceptable when it can be used to protect others. Lying can cause harm to people and hurt them. In “Rejecting All Lies” by Sissela Bok, Immanuel Kant states that lying always harms mankind individually.
A lie is defined as a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood. Why do people lie? What is the point of lying? How can liars be spotted? With the help of Pamela Meyer, these questions were able to be answered.
Many people disagree with lying and believe that telling a lie is never right. Those that disagree often worry about the consequences of what would happen if the person you were lying to found out. These people would criticize those that tell lies and view them as untrustworthy and fake. One criticism of those that lie is that when you tell one lie you may have to tell another, and another, and so on just to cover up the first lie which leads to one big messy web of lies. Another criticism is that the overall purpose of telling a lie is not just. Usually when someone tells a lie it's to protect themselves. Many would argue against lying by saying the best option is to admit to what was done wrong, accept the consequences of that action, and
White lies are often told when people are afraid of what would happen if they told the truth.