Among those who have Asperger’s Syndrome or autism, have damaged dorsolateral prefrontal cortexes, or live in the The Invention of Lying (2009) comedic universe are people who can claim truthfully that they never lie. Virtually anyone else who says they always tell the truth are lying. The overwhelming majority of us have lied and still continue to lie to this day. Deceit has its roots anchored to an era before the dawn of modern man. The act of camouflage is an excellent example of trickery seen in the wild, both currently and prehistorically.
Humans have been speaking in spades and talking in tongues for millennia. Truth and lie are a dual pair, like white and black, wet and dry, light and dark, so on and so forth. As a general rule of thumb, telling the truth is the superior decision to telling a lie. Though, if we are honest, then we’ll have to admit that lying can be beneficial at times. In the grand scheme of events, lying can be moral, amoral, or immoral. Whether dishonesty is righteous, neutral, or wrong ultimately depends on the outcome of the misrepresentation.
Moral Lies
Lying can be moral if it either protects the lives of innocent people or enhances the pleasure of an experience to the detriment of nobody.
During the reign of German dictator Adolf Hitler throughout the Nazi period of said country, a countless number of Jews were captured against their wills and taken to concentration camps. Hitler proposed the unfounded claim that Jewish people are inferior to Aryanians. He also blamed the Jews for causing economic havoc. Many German citizens fell for the propaganda spread by the deranged führer. However, some citizens resisted the ruler’s message, taking upon themselves to provide spaces for the Jews to hide. They would have had to lie should they have been questioned by German military soldiers. Such lies would have been morally upstanding, considering that many, if not most, Jews did nothing wrong.
On a lighter note, if you personally have fond memories of being thrown a surprise birthday party, then you must accept that, through the coordination of your loved ones and friends, a level of manipulation was necessary. Some people love surprises. Likewise, parents lying to children about the existence of imaginary apparitions – Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny – enhances the excitement that children have during the holidays. Keep in mind that young children experience reality in a more dreamy, imaginative manner than adults. Also, they are precious and pure only so long before they become more jaded through the simple process of getting older. Loving parents take an interest in the joy their children exude.
Certain parents make statements to the effect of the following: “I work TOO D*NM HARD for a fat man to get the credit for bringing the presents!” The premise that the statement is founded on – that it’s the parents’ money that pays for the presents – isn’t inaccurate, technically. That said, it’s also valid to suspect that such parents lack a fundamental understanding of childhood cognitive development. It’s not like children need to know the truth right away. A reasonably intelligent and perceptive child will figure out the truth on its own accord. Most won’t be angry once they discover the truth organically. It’s healthy for young kids to entertain their imaginations. That’s how they grow up to be adults capable of coming up with creative solutions to tackle life’s dilemmas.
Amoral Lies
Lying is generally amoral when the outcome is trivial, the truth won’t solve anything, time is saved, or the situation involves a plentiful amount of grey area.
Simple example: While on a walk during a vacation, you trip and fall and mildly hurt your knee. A few minutes later, you encounter a senior citizen. He complains about his back pain. Since you look relatively young, he assumes that you are lucky to be in no pain. You affirm his statement, in spite of the fact that your knee still hurts a bit. You lied to a stranger about a petty matter. No worries. You’ll probably never see him again. The lie affected no one negatively.
Another instance for which lying is amoral involves a distraught co-worker talking about how her nine-year-old child burned a huge chunk of her kitchen by microwaving food wrapped with aluminum foil. Suppose you made a similar mistake by nuking silverware, but you are embarrassed to admit the former disaster. You guys happen to be near each other.
“Hello Jessica. How are you doing today?”
“You won’t believe what my son did! He burned my kitchen down. Oh my god! I told him never to put aluminum foil in the microwave! 😡”
“Oh no! I can’t imagine what it’s like! 😮”
*You secretly remembering the time you burned a kitchen 🤦*
Upon telling your co-worker about this particular childhood experience, your mouth will produce no mist that magically turns into money for her to use to remodel the kitchen. Divulging your failure will not solve the issue. So, if you are ashamed of your past, then keeping it to yourself is fine. Such omission is worthy of neither praise nor condemnation. More effective responses to her challenge involve thrifty deals on materials and the contact information of competent handy men.
The denial of experiencing something almost everyone discredits for the sake of time spared is also a just reason for a lie. You are in your bed on a Sunday night. A bright magenta light shines through your window. You go out to the backyard. You see an orb-shaped metallic object in the sky. It zigzags faster than any object made by man. You are startled. You go to work or school the next day. Someone asks you about your weekend. “Same ol’ same ol’.” There’s no point in relaying an experience that zilch people believe anyways.
On the other hand, some situations are more complex, such as those that involve looking for a job, particularly with respect to résumé building. Landing a position by lying on a résumé is generally considered wrong due to taking the spot of someone who could have potentially been a better candidate for the company. For-profit organizations search for the most skilled applicants to maximize their profits. More often than not, such entities use prior experience, references, and/or credentials to assess applicants.
However, what if one comes from a toxic household in a sketchy neighborhood in which he learned little about navigating life in a well-to-do, respectable society? He leaves the house at 18 and acquires the skill of selling drugs. Two years later, he gets tired of the risks involved and crazy characters he has to deal with throughout the selling of the illegal substances. He wants a better life. So, he ends up applying to work at Costco as a janitor. He fills the two-year job gap with fake experience and convinces someone he knows to act like a former ma-and-pa employer. He gets the job, shows up for work every day on time, and leaves the building spotless every day after his shift.
Is this wrong? On the basis of strict principle divorced from any concrete outcome, yes. With respect to the results, no. In this case, the argument that he took the spot of someone more qualified is, at best, flimsy. An epileptic eel with half a beetle’s brain could learn to perform well as a janitor.
Immoral Lies
Nevertheless, as we all know, there are indeed instances in which lying is wrong. If lying leads to damage, then such lying is immoral.
Take the following simple, but nonetheless despicable, case: A person gets into an argument with his significant other. He cheats on her. They break up. A few months later, it’s discovered that she has contracted a serious STD. She tells her doctor that her former boyfriend was her only recent sexual partner. She confronts the ex, inquiring if the latter cheated on her before they broke up. He starts screaming and gaslighting her, claiming that it was her who cheated on him. He storms away never to be seen again. The guy should have come forth and owned up to his disloyalty. Such disclosure would not have cured the STD but would have at least given her closure.
Similarly, the spouse of an individual with a criminal record ought to know about said record. If the latter lacks the daring, industriousness, competence, or knowledge to pursue an entrepreneurial endeavor, then the criminal record will hamper the ability for employment; which, in turn, will be a roadblock for procuring money; which will, in turn, affect the marriage. One of the top reasons for divorce is finances.
Lying to spare visceral stings is also wrong. You will definitely understand this if you’ve watched a few episodes of American Idol. Probably few of those failing to pass the first audition were told the truth. That said, it’s possible, classy even, to state the truth in a manner that is calm, soothing, and poised. As long as you are not affected by them not heeding the truth, let them ignore it at their own peril. Not your zoo, not your animals.
Yes, this includes a husband telling a wife she is gaining weight and that he is losing attraction to her, and vice versa. They got together in the first place due to being attracted to one another, did they not?