Quote:
Originally posted by Yakk
Which version of "lie" do you agree with: is a statement or mistruth that is only to make someone else feel better a lie? Is omitting something a lie?
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I have to agree with the "male" definition of a lie - a misstatement of the facts. There are, of course, "lies of omission," but that's kind of a different category. Everyone lies. For me the relevant issue is which lies are "okay" and which ones are not. Lying to your friend to cover up a surprise party seems okay, but hiding an affair (those sneaky "lies of omission" - though I doubt you could conduct an affair without some outright lies) doesn't. Telling someone a little "white lie" to protect their ego probably seems okay, but in the end, are you doing them a favor, or are you just protecting your own feelings? For instance, someone might really look fat in those pants, or need to drop 10 pounds. It'd probably be better for them in the long run if they learned to dress more flatteringly, or got healthy, but it's uncomfortable to be the one telling someone something that you know is going to hurt their feelings. So I think little white lies like that are kind of a cop-out, but everyone does it.