Month: August 2013

Posted on

On the Evil of Lying

By Jim Spiegel

These days a lot of liars are in the news.  Busted PED-user Ryan Braun not only repeatedly and emphatically denied his guilt but was self-congratulatory while meeting with the press after his successful appeal last year.  Check out Gregg Doyel’s excoriating piece on Braun.

And then Ryan_Braunthere’s Anthony Weiner.  In addition to his narcissism and sexual perversion, he’s a pathological liar.  How many lies have we heard from him?  One reporter with the Daily Beast counted 68 lies in just eight minutes during one interaction with the press.

So why is lying so offensive?  The best analysis of the evil of lying that I have seen comes from Charles Fried, former law professor at Harvard University (in his book Right and Wrong, chapter 3 [Harvard, 1978]).  According to Fried, being faithful to truth is fundamental to rationality and, therefore, morality.   This means believing on the basis of truth, rather than to choose truth.  Truth, Fried reminds us, is not owned by anyone in particular.  But to lie is to essentially to choose truth, to claim it as one’s own, and this contradicts rationality (and morality).

Fried also analyzes the evil of lying in terms of disrespect.  Rationality is the respect for truth.  Lying disrespects truth and so is fundamentally irrational.  And since moral agents must be rational and act rationally, lying is inimical to morality (which is to say it is immoral).  Furthermore, to lie is to disrespect others by undermining their interest in the truth.

Furthermore, Fried points 220px-Anthonyweinerout that the evil of lying can be analyzed in terms of the way it undermines community.  Language, he notes, is a communal affair, a means by which we share in rationality.  For language to work there must be a shared commitment to truth and morality.  To lie is to break that trust and thus is a blow to our communal bond of reason.

To Fried’s philosophical analysis, I would offer a theological point, which might be the most fundamental problem of all when it comes to lying.  Scripture tells us that God is truth (Jn. 14:6).  Of course, this point itself begs for careful analysis and interpretation.  But, whatever this means it surely implies that the concept of truth is somehow grounded in the divine and thus sacred.

Remembering these points about truth is crucial at times like these, when lies seem especially rampant among public figures.  I find it helpful not only to understand my own anger at liars but also as a reminder why I must remain solidly committed to believing, telling, and searching for truth in all domains of life.  For the commitment to truth is fundamental to what it means to be rational, moral, and religiously devout.

Posted on

Book Blurbs

By Amy Spiegel

This summer has been a book-reading bonanza for me. Book reading and exercise prevention. The fog of a tough homeschooling year has faded and I bathe my battle scars in a sea of literature. I am halfway through my book club reading list and still going strong. Here are some of the ones that stand out, for better or for worse.

1491-cover1493index1491 and 1493 by Charles Mann: First a caveat about these two books. I didn’t technically read them. I listened to them. I know someone of you will consider this cheating. Sorry. But these books were my faithful and welcomed companions on my weekly Saturday escape to the recycling center and grocery store. I never thought that two historical non-fiction books would have me chuckling to myself down the cereal aisle but both had me spellbound. As the title dates would suggest, they are explorations of the state of North America before Columbus’ journey in 1492 and then how the world was impacted (economically, ecologically, culturally, etc.) by the “Columbian exchange.”  Mann’s presentation of the issues is balanced enough to irritate both sides of various debates such as regarding when people first arrived in the Americas, whether Europeans responsible for the biological fallout of their journeys westward, and how we should approach the Amazon rainforest. I consider these must-reads.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut: I wanted to read something by Vonnegut and now I can say I have. Other than that, I don’t have a lot to say about this book. Maybe it is one better read in a group, where discussion and a variety of perspectives can bring out more from the text than when you read it alone. So it goes.

7menindexSeven Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness by Eric Metaxas: I greatly enjoyed Metaxas’ Bonhoeffer so when I saw this book I was naturally curious. Metaxas has chosen seven men whom he feels have impacted our world deeply. He gives a brief biography and examination of their “greatness.” Some were familiar to me: George Washington, William Wilberforce, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jackie Robinson. Some I thought I knew but was surprised to learn some unexpected details or aspects of their lives: Eric Liddell, Pope John Paul II, Chuck Colson. The book was interesting but rather short. Definitely a good read for my kids as they search for role models. I would say Metaxas achieved his goal in leaving me wanting to know more about these uniquely humble and self-sacrificial men.

EyrebooksThe Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde: This was a book club selection and a very interesting read. Anything having to do with Jane Eyre has me at hello. One of a series, Fforde has created an alternative reality to our own, where time travel is possible as involves transporting oneself into the classics and potentially altering the endings of both history and fiction. A literature junkie’s dream come true, quite a few of the literary references went over my head but it made for a good sunny afternoon read.

Honorable Mentions: The Host by Stephenie Meyer (Meyer, author of the Twilight Series if you have been living under a rock for the last several years, continues her tradition of creating an interesting story that is poorly written.) The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin (Another book club selection. Its very interesting to learn more about the lives of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, but I felt uncomfortable with the mixture of fiction and history. Think I would rather have read a biography.) The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick (Loved the movie. Loved the book more.)