A Philosophy of Lying / Lars Svendsen ; translated by Matt Bagguley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Svendsen, Lars Fr. H., 1970- author.

Contributor:

Bagguley, Matt, 1971- translator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Truthfulness and falsehood--Philosophy.

Truthfulness and falsehood.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (137 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

London, England : Reaktion Books Ltd, 2022.

Summary:

From lying to friends to lies in politics, a wide-ranging examination of the forms and ethics of falsehood.From popular philosopher Lars Svendsen, this book is a comprehensive investigation of lying in everyday life. What exactly is a lie, Svendsen asks, and how does lying differ from related phenomena, such as "bullshit" or being truthful? Svendsen also investigates the ethics of lying--why is lying almost always morally wrong, and why is lying to one's friends especially bad? The book concludes by looking at lying in politics, from Plato's theory of the "noble lie" to the Big Lie of Donald Trump.As phrases like "fake news" and "alternative facts" permeate our feeds, Svendsen's conclusion is perhaps a surprising one: that, even though we all occasionally lie, we are for the most part trustworthy. Trusting others makes one vulnerable, and we will all be duped from time to time. But all things considered, Svendsen contends, truthfulness and vulnerability are preferable to living in a constant state of distrust.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Introduction

One: What Is Lying?

Two: The Ethics of Lying

Three: Lying to Yourself

Four: Lies and Friendship

Five: The Politics of Lying

Six: Living with Lying

References

Acknowledgements

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Svendsen, Lars A Philosophy of Lying

ISBN:

9781789145649

1789145643