The Right to Lie by Christine Korsgaard

There comes a time when a doctor, minister or politicians and an individual will tell a lie. It could be a white lie or big lie; most people almost generally resort to lying in certain situation. Often times a lawyer will lie in order to protect his client, or vice versa, a client will tell a lie in order to avoid being incarnated. There are many situations an individual will be placed in, and at some point in a person’s life they will need to tell a lie. Is it appropriate to lie? This is what Sissela Bok writes about in Lying: Moral choice in Public and Private Life. Bok acknowledges that despite numerous religious and moral statements against lying, people will still lie in certain situations. She will discuss and

The methods in which men and women communicate are eminently different. This being so, their external state is an indicator of their inner state, but men and women have different external states to express themselves. This is especially evident among children and individuals in relationships, and altered between a couple who tries to adjust their behavior. Deborah Tannen, the author of “Sex, Lies, and Conversation,” argues that boys are girls are taught to have a differ inner state, that males and females usually have the same inner state but express them differently when communicating, and that individuals in romantic relationships can alter the way they present their outer state to represent their inner state in a way their partner can relate to.

Should we stop lying and should stop letting people lie to us? In “The Ways We Lie”, Stephanie Ericsson describes lying as “a cultural cancer that… reorders reality until moral garbage becomes as invisible to us as water is to a fish” (Ericsson 186). Ericsson believes that we have accepted lies to the point where do not recognize it anymore. Ericsson has a point when she says that lying should not be tolerated, but it should be the unnecessary lies that should not be tolerated. There are lies that are justifiable based on the intent of the person lying. All lies are harmful in their own ways but sometimes we need to lie to protect others and ourselves.

In today’s American society, lying has become something that we are accustomed to using almost every day without even realizing it. In “The Ways We Lie”, Stephanie Ericsson, screenwriter, advertising copywriter, and writer, elaborates on the act of lying and how it is used by everyone on a daily basis. She comes up with a list of the common, different kinds of lies that we all have told. Furthermore, the text goes in depth about the significance of lying and how it is an essential part of every human’s life. Ericsson’s essay effectively conveys this idea through the use of pathos, logos, ethos, personal examples, rhetorical questions, and analogies which helps the reader better understand the reasoning behind lies and how it affects our

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.

Lying: it’s something everyone is guilty of. Whether they be big or small, lies are everywhere. We live in a society full of lies, so we take the consequences of lying with a grain of salt. There’s no doubt about it; lying can be dangerous. Therefore, we should be more wary of our lies and their consequences. Lies can be detrimental and do have the potential to change society for the worse.

In discussions on the topic of lying, a controversial issue has been whether there is justification of lying or not. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of if there is ever a time when a lie can be told for the good of someone else. Whereas some are convinced that lies should never be told, others agree that there are certain instances where lying is acceptable because the liar protects the one lied to. In the essay “The Ways We Lie” by Stephanie Ericsson, she explores the types of lies and how they affect everyday people. In Anton Chekhov’s fictional story, “The Lady with the Dog,” he displays two characters, Dmitri Gurov and Anna Sergeyevna, lying for love and to avoid consequence by their spouses. I stand against lying for the benefit of oneself because I think that it has the ability to ruin relationships or friendships and is hard to keep up the lies which leads to creating more lies. Although some people think that there are circumstances that warrant lying, I claim that no one should lie because lies end up hurting both people involved: the liar and the person lied to.

Stephanie Ericsson is a writer of all sorts who pulls events from her life to use as starting points for her work. She does this to make everything she writes deeply personal. The essay, “The Ways We Lie” was originally published in the Utne Reader. The Utne Reader is a reader’s digest based out of Topeka, Kansas. It presents new and fresh ideas in art, culture, politics, and spirituality. Utne readers are people who are motivated for social change, and they want to make the world a better place. The readers want to be well rounded on current events. That is what the Utne Reader has provided its readers for over thirty years. It is a combination of reprints and original writings. The Utne Reader is published monthly online for its readers to enjoy (citation). Does the Utne Reader give credit to those whose articles they reprint? How large is the fan base for this digest? Does anyone in our school subscribe to the Utne Reader?

In “Brad Blanton: Honestly Tell the Truth” , an article by Barbara Ballinger reports that you should honestly tell the truth rather than lying. Ballinger supports her idea by reporting that Blanton says “Because it keeps you locked up in the jail of your own mind”, which means lying can sometimes trouble you when the guilt hits you. Ballinger also states “Delivering the truth is easier, takes less time, and is less stressful.” This quote means that when you lie or keep the truth from someone then it causes a lot of stress and it just takes less time to tell someone the truth rather than lying. Ballinger wants to report that telling the truth is better and less time consuming than telling a

In Stephanie Ericsson’s essay, “The Ways We Lie”, she discusses the different circumstances in which people lie and describes the types of lies that are commonly used. The author argues that some lies aren’t very severe, and often times are necessary, whereas others can prove to be harmful in the long run and can exact harsh consequences. ( 315 ) Ericsson uses examples in which these lies are presented such as with business acquaintances, politicians or friends and even a priest who breaks ethical code. Ericsson poses the question that if she decided not to lie, if she would be less tolerant of lies told to her. (322) So why do we lie and allow people to lie to us? Does society encourage us to lie or is it

itself. The third example is of a man who it bestowed a natural ability but

The history of publishing has been plagued with literary hoaxes — from the somewhat harmless Ern Malley hoax to the most recent Belle Gibson scandal. Unfortunately literary hoaxes will continue to happen, unless publishers begin to fact check manuscripts before publication. Publishers claim they are unable to do this due to the financial cost of the procedure and this is a believable claim. If you spoke to an average person they would say that the print industry is dying, thanks to the rise of digital technology, and there has been a downturn in profits.

Kant’s philosophy was based around the theory that we have a moral unconditional obligation and duty that he calls the “Categorical Imperative.” He believes that an action must be done with a motive of this moral obligation, and if not done with this intention then the action would hold no moral value. Under this umbrella of the “Categorical Imperative” he presents three formulations that he believes to be about equal in importance, relevance, and could be tested towards any case. The first formulation known as the Formula of Universal Law consists of a methodical way to find out morality of actions. The second formulation is known as

This is an example of a contradiction in conception. The maxim of deceiving others to get what one wants cannot be acted upon successfully when the maxim is universalized. For deception to be successful, truthfulness must be assumed, but when the maxim is universalized the assumption no longer holds, and therefore, such a world becomes logically impossible because deception cannot successfully occur and communication becomes unreliable. Moreover, when the maxim is willed to become universal law it leads to a contradiction because deception is no longer possible, and thus, acting out of deception to get what one wants is not morally permissible.

However, everything has advantages and disadvantages, even the formulation of universal law. The outstanding point of universal law stresses that people’s moral behaviors should have objectivity. Whether the maxim could be universalizable depends on if the subjective maxim could become an objective maxim. Thus, when the subjective maxim could pass the standard of the objective maxim, it will be the moral maxim indeed. People need to act in accordance with universal law, or people will make moral mistakes. As for the weak points, there are two perspectives. This