Big fibs.

Half-truths.

Little white lies.

Not telling the whole truth.

Partial disclosure.

Is there ever a time when it's okay to lie?

Does it matter who you're lying to?

Or does it matter what you're lying about?

I don't think it's ever okay to lie. But then, I'm being a hypocrite, because I can't even pretend I've never lied before. I know people that lie, constantly, just because that's how they are. They will lie about having cereal - when they had oatmeal for breakfast. Those kind of lies, really, aren't a big deal. It's not going to cause the end of the world, or seriously do anything harmful.

White lies, despite being good natured in manner, are still bad. You can't claim it's for someone's own good that you're lieing to them to make them happy/make them feel better/et cetera; tell them the truth, and let them handle it. Elaborate lies >> to get out of things, we've all done them. They aren't good, and they're not okay, but it's human nature to lie to get yourself out of sticky situations. Lie, and run.

I don't think it's ever okay to lie to your children, or to your significant other. That's just wrong. You should always tell those people the truth, always.

Whenever you do not want to get in trouble. :lol: It's kind of like blowing a horn though. You may stop but you will do it again eventually.

I don't think it's every okay to lie, but I'm definitely guilty of selectively omitting information I give to people. If you call that lying. >_>

That isn't lying. That is just not giving all the details. :twisted:

When it's absolutely necessary. I generally do not lie, but it's not a moral issue. As most people here know by now, I'm a witch. To me, saying something is a certain way is a big step on the way to making it that way, if not in objective reality, then in your own mind. The more you lie, the more you change your perceptions of the world, and the more you start to forget what the truth is. That can cause some really major problems, not just for yourself but for those you interact with. That's why, to me, there aren't "white" or "black" lies or fibs. The severity and the intent does not matter. It's all dishonesty, and it's all something you should avoid doing.

That said, sometimes it's worth it to lie. There's just no other way to have a favourable outcome. In my opinion, those instances are very few, but they're still there. For instance, my grandmother thinks I'm Christian, straight, and all manner of other things. To keep her believing that, I've had to do a lot of lying, not only to her but to family members and friends of the family. I've had to hide a lot from her. I love her, and I don't feel particularly great about deceiving her, but telling her the truth would not do anyone any good. In fact, it would likely kill her, and I really mean that. At the very least, it would break her heart. The lie only really hurts me, and it's a lie many others have lived for far longer and far more completely, so I can deal with it.

Yes and there are simular reasons to tell lies. Like living with an abusive "parent". They don't want you to move out and have your own life though you're way more then an adult. Very much should be on your own. But they won't let you. They do their own lies to make you think that you cant make it in the world. That the world wont accept you. Sometimes it's better to lie to them and make them think that you arent planning on leaving. And that if you do, make them believe that chances are you'll end up back there again anyways. Sometimes it's the only way to get away from hurtful and damaging relationships.

Though there is a slight disagreement on that part there Siddie. I do think that as long as you remember the real truth. Like in my case with using the lie to break away from an abuser, as long as you remember the truth, then it doesnt really alter the reality. I told others of the truth in fact so that I had more power going into the truth to break his power over me... So that might have been another part of it though. And about telling your grandmother that stuff and doing things to keep up the lies, I did that with him too, when I first started to follow my path. In fact right now he still believes that I'm wiccan, because I know that if he found out that I'm a follower of Bast the Cat Goddess then he would kill my cats to remove the "Devil's Temptation" from me.. So I guess I'm lieing there in a simular way too.

And I definatly agree with the whole not lieing to your spouse. Unless of course they're abusing you and you're lieing so that you can get out of the relationship. Then I see that it's okay.

I liked Phil's point on continuous lying being able to warp your perception of reality. I saw something like this with my ex, who was a compulsive liar. One of my favourite stories is the time he pretended to get a job, lied to his parents for several months, then asked me to send him $1,500 (around £750) in order to try and prove to them with a bank statement that he had been earning money.

I didn't do it. Not only wasn't I stupid enough to not realise that I'd never see that money again, but I was uncomfortable with the principles of what he was aksing me to do, which was aid in this huge deception. I am a very open and honest person, and I do NOT like deception.

I actually quite like Kant's view on lying. For a start, the law of universalisability means that if you deem it acceptable to lie yourself, then you must accept that everyone else can be lying at any and all times. With deception suspected at every turn, this would logically lead to a total degradation of society. This is the first maxim of the categorical imperative. The second states that people must be treated as ends in themselves, which lying also violates.

Wikipedia sums the issue up well.

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

Kant asserted that lying, or deception of any kind, would be forbidden under any interpretation and in any circumstance. In Grounding, Kant gives the example of a person who seeks to borrow money without intending to pay it back. This is a contradiction because if it were a universal action, no person would lend money anymore as he knows that he will never be paid back. The maxim of this action, says Kant, results in a contradiction in conceivability (and thus contradicts perfect duty). With lying, it would logically contradict the reliability of language. If it is universally acceptable to lie, then no one would believe anyone and all truths would be assumed to be lies. The right to deceive could also not be claimed because it would deny the status of the person deceived as an end in himself. And the theft would be incompatible with a possible kingdom of ends. Therefore, Kant denied the right to lie or deceive for any reason, regardless of context or anticipated consequences.

Interesting, no?

I rarely lie, but I do believe there are certain times when lying is a must. There's a reason human beings, as a species developed lying. It smooths over social relations. It should be used sparingly though, because otherwise no one will trust you. Also, lying all the time can hurt a person you're trying to help. Of course, if telling the truth would hurt them more then it's probably better to lie. Some lies are also necessary so people don't hurt you. For instance, in some places being the wrong religion or sexual orientation can cause you to be beaten or worse. In short, lying can actually be a good thing, depending on with whom and how you tell them.

I tried telling the truth for a whole day at 2:34 PM exactly I got popped in the mouth, I'm not doing that again, ever!

I'm not going to say that I don't lie. I do. However, I try to make it rare, and if I catch myself lying, I try my best to stop, take a deep breath, and tell the truth. Your perception of reality is what makes communication between people possible. If you life in a non-objective reality where you lie to people, you are cheating yourself as much as you are cheating the other person. Our actions are based on what we see as reality. If you present another person with a false reality, you are giving them reason to act irrationally, which can have some dire consequences. In other words, stick to the truth and no one gets hurt.

its actually never ok to lie, but when it comes down to hurting a little boys feeling or lying to him to make him feel better (ABOUT SMALL THINGS) then i belive that it would be ok to tell that little fib.

I generally try to tell the truth, but it's hard not to leave something out or tell small white lies.. I feel bad doing it, but sometimes its necessary.

Then again, everyone lies at some point.. is it wrong of parents to make their kids believe in santa, cause thats a big lie, and one that most people go along with no less..

I've learned that I am very BAD at lying. I can withhold information, and generally it is for my own safety. But the few times I have lied (big lies) it blew up in my face. Lying can be useful, but generally is difficult for some people. Some people find it easy to lie. I think lying is up to the person. Some people are pathological liars. My little cousin can not, for reasons my family still can't comprehend, consitantly tell the truth. Roughly 50% of the time, the words out of her mouth are lies. Basically it's come down to no one believes what she says. Maybe she will learn her lesson soon, she's 10, or she will always lie. I'm not sure.

I rarely lie, I just omit certain events. ^.-