Lying

Hotel Bar Sessions

The HBS hosts parse the difference between mistakes, half-truths, embellishments, and outright lies.

George Costanza (from the TV series Seinfeld) once insisted: “It’s not a lie if you believe it.” This seems both true and false. It's certainly wrong to claim that someone lied accidentally, so intention, and therefore knowing what you are saying is not true, appears to be a necessary part of what it is to lie. Yet, the “if you believe it” part often operates like a “get out of jail free" card, and none of us can really know the intentions of another.

Kant famously argued that I have a duty to tell the truth in all cases, no matter the consequences... which leads one to wonder: if I'm aiding a friend by sheltering them from an abusive partner, when that partner knocks on the door and asks if my friend is inside, must I tell the truth? And what about a friend who asks you if you like their new tattoo?

Finally, what happens to lying in an age, arguably like ours, when the truth counts for so little? Might we be in the awkward position of hoping for an age in which we can actually lie again?

Full episode notes available at this link:
https://hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/episode-127-lying

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