Edith Hamilton's Mistakes

The mere concept of a compulsive or pathological liar is often repulsive to most of us, but the truth is, many of us aren’t that far from crossing that bridge. In her essay, “The Ways We Lie”, Stephanie Ericsson analyzes not only the many occasions in which we lie, but also the meaning and consequences of those lies. Although Ericsson’s definitions are well articulated, the evidence she employs to support many of her statements lack depth.

In her essay “The Ways We Lie” Stephanie Ericsson (2007) states different ways people lie in their lives and explains the reasons why people lie. Ericsson starts her essay, by explaining how she lied four times in just one day, and that she doesn’t feel guilty about doing it. Although at the same time she explains that everyone lies one way or another but there is no such a thing as a good lie. The author continues her contends by listing different types of lies people use in different situations such as: the white lie, facades, ignoring the plain facts, deflecting, omission, stereotypes and clichés, groupthink, out-and-out lies, dismissal, and finally delusion then she explains each in detail by providing examples.

Since the beginning of time, deceit and lie have been tools to achieve the goals of many, from getting out of an assignment or becoming the ruler of a country. The kicker is that power achieved this way for the most part, usually roots itself out and becomes a larger problem than what you began with. The book The Great Gatsby personifies the theme that, some people tend to use lies for short term gain without emphasis on long term. The next few paragraphs are examples of how success through lies is only a right away, but eventually everything falls back into place.

The Ways We Lie addresses the main topic of avoiding the truth promptly. Factions of lying, especially those not ordinarily considered deceit, are presented, and personal anecdotes as well as historical precedents magnify personal appeal along with logic. The purpose of this essay is to encourage people to abstain from dishonesty. For illustration, the author states,”I cannot seem to escape the voice deep inside

As long as humans have lived and died, we have strived to know the meaning of life. We assume that there is a meaning or importance to life, and in doing so try to provide some permanence to our existence so that a greater machine might continue to function. It is only natural, then, for us to be interested in the concept of immortality. If there is purpose to an ending life, a life that does not end must be supremely important. This idea is exemplified throughout time in stories both historical and fictional. The Epic of Gilgamesh is one such story. Gilgamesh deals with immortality on nearly every level, and at the same time points back to mortality, trying to extract a reason for living and dying.

There comes a time in every persons life where they feel a burning sensation to lie, but is it worth it? Don’t they feel the shame and the guilt of that lie? On average, people lie between ten to two hundred times a day. But doesn't all of that lying come with a lot of conflict and trouble? The more that you lie the more conflict arises by avoiding truth then if it were to be faced head-on.

In the essay The Ways We Lie, author Stephanie Ericsson writes in depth about the different types of lies used by most people everyday. While listing examples of them, Ericsson questions her own experiences with lying and whether or not it was appropriate. By using hypothetical situations, true accounts, and personal occurrences, she highlights the moral conflicts and consequences that are a result of harmless fibs or impactful deceptions. In an essay detailing the lies told to ourselves and others, Ericsson points out one bold truth; everyone lies. Through her writing, Ericsson causes the reader to look into how they’ve lied in the past and how to effects others and the general greater good of society.

Lies, they're everywhere, are they worth the trouble? Throughout these three articles, “It’s the truth”, “Honestly tell the truth”, and “Rejecting all lies”, the authors precisely analyze who agrees, and who doesn’t agree with lying, and why. Lying may be the first thing to come to mind when in a bad situation, but does anyone realize how much damage it can cause towards the other person or to the liar themselves?

In this essay, The Ways We Lie, Ericsson writes examples of lies we tell daily. She explains that not all the lies we tell are intentional. We choose to make life easier by lying. This essay also highlights situations that occur in everyday life. Ericson explains that “The white lie assumes that the truth will cause more damage than a simple, harmless untruth.” (89) She then continue to explain that a “white lie” can be dangerous simply because telling the truth could ease a lot of pain.

To many people, a lie has little significance. Some people tell lies as a way to cover something up, make a different name for themselves, or just to make excuses. No matter what the situation, my father has constantly reminded me that the truth will set you free, and as I get older even though I am still in my youth, the more I realize the truth and importance of that statement. To me a lie is a form of disloyalty, the less you respect the person the more you lie to them as a way to cover up your true identity. A lie is when you mislead what is really the truth; where you don’t tell the full truth in order to deceive someone, or you avoid being honest at all. There are several different outcomes to

The concept that most clearly unites ?The Epic of Gilgamesh? and modern humanity is that immortality cannot be reached. Gilgamesh went through his entire quest, only to return with empty hands. He strove for immortality, and even almost had it, but in the end he was back where he started. He had just wasted a little more time of his ?mortal? life. Despite our advances through the centuries, humans still cannot achieve eternal life. Many teenagers, however, think that they are indestructible. They constantly take chances. Speeding, piercings, drugs, and alcohol are all things that teenagers constantly take risks with. They think, ?it would never happen to me,? when in reality no one is immortal. In the end, everyone dies, no matter what.

In Eriksson’s article she shows the reader that lies come in all shapes and sizes. Whether it be a good lie like a white lie or a bad lie like being delusional. She backs up her definitions of lies with examples from her own life to teach you about them. She ends by saying that lies shouldn’t be accepted anymore or we’ll all get so used to it that it’ll become the social norm, she says “Our acceptance of lies becomes a cultural cancer that eventually shrouds and reorders reality until moral garbage becomes as invisible to us as water is to a fish.” (Ericsson, Stephanie. The Ways We Lie. 1992. Print.). It used to be that a good person never lied but now everyone lies it’s just the sad truth. The only good people left in this world are the ones that refuse to lie. It’s gotten to the point where the lines between being a good person or a bad person are getting blurred. We’ve tricked ourselves to believe that having integrity means you can lie every once in a while, which is just false. Being honest and having integrity are one in the same. Integrity to me means being honest all the time, not lying when you can get away with it or you think someone needs it. There are some people that say lying builds character, I think that’s just false. Being Honest and having integrity is one of the best things in the world. Although some people will lie to make themselves seem like better people but ultimately just let you down.

In Bloom's second edition of "The Republic of Plato," there are many troubling issues. The one that strikes me the most, however, is the idea of the "noble lie." I find this completely disturbing for a number of reasons. It is immoral and wrong to deliberately deceive someone. This idea also completely contradicts Socrates' argument that it is beneficial to be just.

Deception can be used for both good and bad reasons. It can lead someone to be emotionally or physically hurt, or it can hide information from others, both in positive and negative situations. Despite the negative outcomes that can come from deception, many take a chance when deceiving others in hopes of reaching a positive outcome. In the case of novels, deception is often used as a way to put emphasis on the meaning of the work. In Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer, Oskar Schell and his mother deceive each other in hopes that it will allow the other to cope more easily with a death in their family.

Socrates was considered by many to be the wisest man in ancient Greece. While he was eventually condemned for his wisdom, his spoken words are still listened to and followed today. When, during his trial, Socrates stated that, “the unexamined life is not worth living” (Plato 45), people began to question his theory. They began to wonder what Socrates meant with his statement, why he would feel that a life would not be worth living. To them, life was above all else, and choosing to give up life would be out of the picture. They did not understand how one would choose not to live life just because he would be unable to examine it.