A great man – what is he? He rather lies than tells the truth; it requires more spirit and will. –Nietzsche
Since I began this ‘series’ focusing on ‘LYING’ I have been thinking about ‘Two Perspectives’: The Deceived and the Liar. I finally have enough thoughts together and so I will begin today focusing a bit upon each of these perspectives.
Consider, gentle reader, that we postmodern folks have nearly perfected two forms of deliberate assault on one another: Deceit and Violence. Both are designed to coerce the other into acting against his/her will. The harm that befalls victims via violence can also come to them via deceit. Deceit requires more cleverness for it works on belief as well as action. I am thinking of Othello. Few would have dared to attempt to subdue him by force but he was brought to choose to destroy himself and Desdemona through falsehood.
Deception, like violence, can be employed in self-defense, especially when ‘survival’ is at stake. Deception can also be trivial – think: ‘white lies.’ Nevertheless its potential for coercion and destruction is such that human society – any human society – could scarcely function without some degree of truthfulness when it comes to speech and action. [AN ASIDE: I know, as well as you do, gentle reader, that ‘truthful statements’ can themselves be coercive and destructive; they can be used as weapons to wound]
There must be a minimal degree of trust in communication for language and action to be more than clanging cymbals. This is why some level of truthfulness must be an essential part of any human society, no matter its commitment to the observance of other moral principles. Samuel Johnson once noted that even the devils themselves do not lie to one another since their society – Hell – could not subsist without truth (talk about a paradox).
A human society whose members could not distinguish ‘truthful messages’ from ‘deceptive messages’ would implode. Prior to the general implosion, individual survival would be at risk, a trickle would become a ripple, a ripple would become a wave and the waves would come together to form a tsunami that would wash us all away. [AN ASIDE: Consider that our ‘Culture’ today is being eroded by the waves of ‘deception’ that wash over us each day; there are so many that we are becoming immune to their coercive effect]
All of my choices, of your choices, of our choices depend on our estimates of what is ‘the truth.’ These estimates must in turn rely upon information from the ‘other(s).’ Lies distort information and therefore our situation as we perceive it, as well as our choices. A lie not only leads us astray, it injures us in untold ways.
We believe, in our Culture, that ‘knowledge gives power.’ Lies, then, impact the distribution of power. Lies add to the ‘power’ of the deceiver and diminish the power of the one being deceived. Lies alter our ability to choose. Think about this gentle reader: Lies alter our ability to choose!
A lie, first, may misinform (think: Fake News) so as to obscure some ‘objective,’ something the deceived person wanted to do or obtain (think: information about a candidate in order to make an informed voting decision). The ‘objective’ is no longer attainable. The deception may give birth to a new objective – as when Iago deceived Othello into wanting to kill Desdemona. [AN ASIDE: Today, more than ever before, it might benefit us to read and study Shakespeare’s great tragedy: ‘Othello’]
Lies eliminate or obscure relevant ‘alternatives.’ Lies also foster the belief that there are more alternatives available when in fact the alternatives are limited. Lies can also lead to the loss of confidence in what might well be the ‘best alternative.’ Lies alter the ‘cost-benefits’ and obscure the ‘unintended consequences’. Think: the immense toll of life and human welfare from the United States’ intervention in Vietnam came in part from the deception + self-deception by those who fed overly optimistic information to the decision-makers.
Deception can make a situation falsely certain as well as falsely uncertain. Deception will impact the objectives, the alternatives, the risks, the benefits and the consequences (intended and unintended). Deception is a major way that ‘they’ gain power over ‘them’ and impact the choices open to the deceived.
Deception can help initiate actions one would otherwise never have chosen and deception can prevent action by obscuring the necessity for choice. This is the essence of ‘cover up’ – creating apparent normality in order to avert suspicion. Deception becomes the norm!
We human beings are, by nature, imperfect. Thus we – each of us – relies on deception. We deceive in order to get out of trouble, to save face, to avoid hurting another person’s feelings, etc. Some of us use it more consciously in order to manipulate the other and gain an upper hand.
I believe that, for the most part, each of us is aware of the threat lies impose; we are aware of the suffering that follows – both to the deceived and to the deceiver. Given this, I leave us this morning with this question: Why are such radically different evaluations given to the effects of deception, depending on whether the point of view is that of the liar or the one lied to?
This leads us to explore our topic: ‘Lying – Two Perspectives: The Deceived & The Liar.’