truthtelling and the “liar’s paradox” epimenides the cretan once stated: “all cretans are...
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Truthtelling and the “Liar’s Paradox”
• Epimenides the Cretan once stated: “All Cretans are liars!” (Was he telling the truth?)
• Mark Twain: “None of us could live with an habitual truth teller; but, thank goodness, none of us has to.”
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The “true” liar’s paradox seems to be this:
• we believe, as a default position, that lying is always wrong
• BUT we tend to believe that lying is sometimes excusable, occasionally permissible, and rarely, even obligatory (to prevent some great harm or injury)
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Utilitarianism and Truthtelling
• an act of truthtelling is RIGHT if (and only if) the good consequences outweigh the bad
• an act of lying is WRONG only when the bad consequences outweigh the good
• This seems to be the wrong explanation of why lying is wrong
• but perhaps a correct clue about when there might be exceptions or excuses to the rule against lying
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Absolutism from St. Augustine to Kant
• Lying is ALWAYS wrong. No excuses, no exceptions.
CI3 -- Kingdom of Ends: legislative inconsistency and incoherence
CI1 -- Universal Law: “free rider status”
CI2 -- Respect for Persons: deception as betrayal, use of deceived as a means merely to achieve the liar’s own self-serving ends
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“Principle of Veracity”
lying always requires a reason, a justification; truth-telling does not.
• Generally true. But . . . is this always true? • Need to define: EXCUSES;
BLAMEWORTHINESS Presumably it might at least be
EXCUSABLE, to tell a lie when one or more of the following conditions is met:
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• prevent great HARM (a murderer in search of their intended victim)
• bring about some great BENEFIT (LtCOL North’s appeal; physician concealing or misrepresenting medical diagnosis to a patient)