Social media seems to be the space in which we see so much evidence for these kinds of epistemic vices. Why does there seem to be so much bullshit? In , along with a pervasive and balkanised social media ecosystem and high internet immersion, public life provides abundant opportunities to bullshit and lie on a scale we could have scarcely credited 30 years ago. According to research carried out by the Pew Research Center Smith , social media posts tend to be overly dramatic or exaggerated versions of the truth, and people are likely to make accusations and start arguments about an issue without consideration of the facts.
Then, we have fake news. Often, the intention is to parody or satirise real events in order to force deception, humbug, lies and misrepresentations of the truth out into the open. They often serve social critique or distraction. What Trump is railing against is that the news may be truthful, factual and representative of reality. But perhaps this would be going too far for a bullshitter of his stature. More ominously, the assertion of fake news seems to be designed to delegitimise the press Lakoff and Duran But a more basic truth is that fake news is any credible reporting that Trump and his adherents do not like.
The insouciant finds it inconvenient to find out the facts and answers to complex problems. Whether they take him literally is another matter. Trumpites, like Brexiteers, may be predisposed to believe the lies. These vices can undermine epistemic trust, authority and justice, resulting in epistemologies of ignorance in which the beliefs and attitudes of the listener are shaped in particular ways to suit those who seem intent on deception. Digital environments appear to have thrown the traditional Truth-Trust dialectic into jeopardy: the sheer volume of information now makes it difficult to know what information to trust.
Not only is there an increase in the volume of news content that is consumed on social media, but the eco-system within which it operates is also increasingly balkanised, in which networks of users will mostly read or consume information that conforms to their existing world view, and conflicting perspectives, even if they are authoritative, are suppressed.
Users are increasingly reliant on algorithms and their own social media networks to determine what news, commentary and political opinion they see and consider Bhatt and MacKenzie These are egregious forms of malicious deception, of which lying is only a part. Deceivers, bots and liars, through coercive or surreptitious acts, deny control to the deceived, and by withholding or distorting information, by faking who they are, they remove the means to make meaningful choices. The consequences are clear: lack of respect for the dignity of the person and inequality because power rests with the deceiver.
Lies are a vice that affects the distribution of power, inflating the power of the powerful while reducing the power of the deceived to make informed judgements. The harm to the marginalised, to those who have legitimate claims to know the facts, to democracy, to anyone who values truth and honesty, is the perpetuation of inequality. The further harm is the spread of prejudice, confusion and distrust in institutions, news sources and figures in whom we normally have grounds to grant epistemic trust.
So why is trust important? Because truth is a prerequisite of trust, and trust, according to Macleod , is necessary to any civilisation. Trust has instrumental and intrinsic value. If we cannot trust, then all we may have are the starry heavens above and the moral law within us.
Footnote 2. Clinton made this infamous denial at a White House press conference on January 26, The reference is to Kant from the Critique of Practical Reason. Again, we seem to be dealing with a genuine Gricean quality violation. Is fiction more like the covert violation of the liar, or like the overt violation of the ironical speaker? When you pick up a Harry Potter book, watch one of the movies, or listen to a podcast discussion thereof, there is no deception — in fact, a proper appreciation of the work presupposes that we know that Harry Potter is a fictional character, made up by J K Rowling.
So while we have managed to distinguish irony from lying, the place of fiction in our typology remains unclear. There are two hypotheses to explore. To evaluate the extent to which fiction really is like lying, it will be helpful to be clear on exactly what lying is.
T he quest for a proper definition of lying is an old but still fashionable topic of philosophical debate. For starters, the simplest definition would be that a lie is the assertion of a falsehood.
But actual falsity is neither necessary nor sufficient for a claim to count as a lie. What matters more than actual truth or falsehood is that liars believe their statements to be false. Further additions to this definition of lying have proven controversial. White lies can prevent awkward confrontations and thereby benefit all parties involved. A more promising suggestion would be a requirement that lies involve deception.
This holds for accidentally true lies as well as white lies. Everybody in the courtroom understands that Pentangeli is lying.
Pentangeli lies without trying to deceive anyone. To sum up, lies are simply assertions of something that the speaker believes to be false.
Although we typically think of lies as false, deceptive and morally objectionable, there are examples of behaviour ordinarily classified as lies that do not have these additional properties. Returning to the hypothesis that both fiction and lies are forms of assertion, it becomes really hard to distinguish them. On the one hand, this is a good thing, as some or all bald-faced lies might as well be classified as fiction, with Pentangeli essentially mounting a little dramatic performance to broadcast his loyalty to the Godfather.
On the other hand, there is something deeply unsatisfying about giving up the quest for a rigorous distinction. If we look a bit further, we will find evidence that backs up our intuition that these really are distinct phenomena. Radford starts from the observation that we can be moved by stories, written or told, fact or fiction. But tales can make you laugh, cry, or feel any other emotion. Tales are ment to entertain you. Lina Z. Dear Anita, I agree on what you said about protective lies, and hurtfull tales.
I never thought of it that way. An example of a hurtful tale is, telling an embarassing story about some one that may be funny to others, but may not be funny to the person that had the embarassing experience. Lies are mean things that either benefit you in some way or a way of hurting someone else. But a tale is something you may tell pre-k children to get them to settle down.
What do you prefer? Bernard Harvin April 1, at Dear Andrew, I agree with you the two thing are completely the oppisite. Lies are mostly seen in a bad way, but tales are to entertian. They never done anyone any good. Tales, on the other hand are lies, yes there made up but there just met to entertain. Bernard H April 1, at Sasha Lofton April 1, at But tales are like stories that have happened and you are remembering them.
It does matter who is telling the lies or the tales cause like i said before lies always end up hurting someone or you end up losing someone. Brian, You raise a great point! If everyone could be honest and tell the truth the world would probably be a much better place without those hurtful lies that let loose! Caroline, You are so right! Grim was trying to be funny!
I think he story got the point across, he grew up poor and was thankful for whatever he got. Thanks for sharing! JB, You are right, nobody likes a liar. My dad always told my sisters and I to tell the truth no matter what! If people find out you lie, they will lose respect for you and never trust you. Todd, Your grandpa sounds like a funny guy! She did that whenever I complained about having to get up early and walk a mile to school.
Gotta love those tales our parents tell us! Quincy, Do you think the story Puss in Boots was told to hurt people or just to entertain us? Alex, You are so right! There are many different ways to tell a story. Some people are so great at story telling, they can captivate a room full of people to listen to every word!
Alex Duke April 1, at I do agree with this statement that Grim said. He made a great point, too. Lies and tales are two totally different things. A tale is like a story, you stretch some of the facts a bit. But you do it all in the purpose to entertain. A lie, however, is a bad thing. You do it to get your way out of something, or try to hurt someone else. Sometimes, though, people respect that you told the truth and will not be so upset. He cannot be trusted, at all! Perhaps he is telling a tale, nobody would ever believe him.
They may not even find it too amusing. Anita Mo April 1, at Dear Steven S. I really liked your response. You did a great job expressing your feelings about how tales can be really fun and cool. My cousin used to tell me these crazy made-up tales, too so I can relate. It always got me laughing and thinking about other things that could only exist in your imagination. Great Job! John April 1, at Dear Stephen, I agree. Lies are meant to hurt people.
Or to escape punishment that you rightly deserve. Tales on the other hand are meant to entertain or to make someone laugh. A tale might be a lie but it is not meant to hurt anybody. By the way, nice story. Quincy S April 1, at For example the tale of Puss and Boots that never happened in real life. An example of a lie would be me saying that my Grandfather use to be the richest man in the world.
Of course, tales are almost never meant to be hurtful and mean. They might give your mind some imagination and amusement. Nice tales strech the truth a little to bring happiness and humor, not to be nasty. Lies may hurt others, but sometimes lies are told to protect another and hide the painful truth. A lie that brings a smile or the truth that draws a tear?
For example, some parents lie to their children about things that might include deaths, accidents, and other tragic things that litte kids might not be able to handle. During these times, a parent has the right to stretch the truth since its actually helping the child in some way even if its a little unfair for the child. Lies may not always be mean, but most of the time, they are.
As a sixth grader, you hear many rumors that are most of the time lies. Whether they were directly sent as a mean comment, you never know for sure. Tales like Snow White and Santa Claus are told to create happiness and laughter, but the same thing goes for tales. Even though a big majority of tales are meant to be entertaining, they can still be rude and unpleasant.
The really sad thing is that sometimes people believe them. Does it matter whose lying? It depends on the situation. Andrew Ciccarino April 1, at Anthony P, I have to agree with you about how Max is not a buthead… That part is totally true. I completley agree with Grim!! You may lie to hurt someone but you will tell a tale to entertain someone.
As you can see those two things are completley opposite. When you tell a lie you are doing it on purpose probably to get revenge or get someone in trouble. There are a few cases where you may lie to be nice but nine times out of ten you are doing it becuse you need to get back at someone or in a bad way.
Yes… Tales are entertaining the fact that they are made up as they go along make them interseting and unpredictable making them fun to hear and listen to.
Anthony P April 1, at Dear Jeff, I do agree with you. Me too! I share tales on Christimas with my family on what happen to me last time I saw them. My Grandpa is just like Grim, he loves to tell tales! Sometimes I think he stretches it a lllllllllittle too far sometimes. But everyone is listening to what he is saying cause it if funny. Lieing is just to get you out of trouble.
When his dad put his hand on the bible I think Max believed his dad, but then killer kane tried to choke Max when max said he saw his dad choke his mom. Arianna C. April 1, at Also you are right how lies from certain people can have a big impact.
For example, Loretta Lee. I agree with the statement Grim said. Lies are telling something that never even happened in the first place. Grim may have gotten coal for Christmas but he probably never gotten coal written on a piece of paper thta said coal on it.
My dad always tells me tales like Grim too. He says that he had to walk to get to the bus in the snow both ways barefoot. This is just like what Grim said because what both of them said were not lies, they were just exaggerating a bit. Kayla Allen April 1, at I definitly agree with you!! A tale is to make something more excited then it acually is… a lie is not the same thing!
Kaitlyn Killeen April 1, at I never really thought white lies are okay though. Instead, I stay quiet. I never really thought about what might happen if they found out the truth. I just knew that all lies are wrong.
Todd Ryan April 1, at I agree with this statement. Or they would just do work. But my grandpa tells us all these crazy things. Like when he farts he would say that the frog did it! Ethan, I agree with you because lies are meant to hurt people. But tales are meant to have a good laugh. Like you said if someone who lies all the time were telling a tale then I would assume it was a bunch of bologna right of the bat because they lie so much.
I agree with what Grim says because lies are either meant to be bad or to hurt someone. Tales are fun stories that may not be true. But they are usually meant to entertain or have a fun time telling. It is always good to have a few tales around the holidays. Nobody likes liers but most like a good tale or two I know I do whether it is true or not. Grace Makowski April 1, at Tyler, I agree with every thing you said, just I think that tails could have happen.
Maybe the idea of the tail from from a real life event. I am totally fine with the lie that santa brings presents. But lies can be serous, like you said such as lying about a crime.
When I lie I tend to feel guilty but if someone else lies I am hurt. Lies do no good. Good Job:]. Tommy C. I do agree with this statement. If you made a big lie then it might effect many people. For example, once my Mom was making pasta.
She mixed cheese in the sauce to make it thicker, but she knew my little brother hated cheese. This relates to the tales Grim was telling. When do children start lying? Here are some tips: Have conversations about lying and telling the truth with your children. For example, if you ask your child if they spilled the milk, your child might feel tempted to lie.
Praise your child for owning up to doing something wrong. Be a role model for telling the truth. Use a joke to encourage your child to own up to a lie without conflict. Here are more ideas to handle deliberate lying: Make a time to talk calmly with your child about how lying makes you feel, how it affects your relationship with your child, and what it might be like if family and friends stop trusting your child.
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