Truth II

(Notes to Lying: Moral Choice by Sissela Bok)

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Studying Truth by Thomas J.J. Altizer and others (1962)
Stu"ying Truth, Myth, and Symbol by Tho#as $%$% &lti'er an" others (()*+) I alrea"y ha" been
analy'ing the cha,ter set Myth and Symbol in The Struggle o- the Monetary Logos &gainst the
Mythos. which I -oun" /uite interesting an" in-or#ati0e%
1owe0er 2The 3roble# o- Truth4 see#e" to be unbalance" an" inco#,lete% The #ost i#,ortant
sections
economy, politics, education, media
1

see#e" to be #issing in the to,ic list
philosophy, physics, sociology, history, literature and religion
so I re-use" to in0est #ore ti#e in stu"ying these har#less to,ics an" concentrate" on another
#anuscri,t I -oun" in #y -ather5s en"less su,,ly o- books%
I -oun" the book which "i" not concentrate on 2Truth4 but on the anti,o"es 2Lies4. which I alrea"y
ha" been stu"ying well be-ore the current econo#ical crisis an" the 0ast increase o- lying%
By the way I also notice" the increase o- lying correlates with the cursing -re/uency% Maybe
we #ight "e0elo, a lying "etector syste# by counting the nu#ber o- curses an" "iscern
truth-ul ,eo,le -ro# notorious liars 6 & new stu"y has re0eale" that cursing goes u,
,ro,ortionally as the crisis sets in
+
Studying Lying by Sissela !o" (19#$)
&nyway Lying : Moral choice in public and private life by Sissela Bok which ha" been
,ublishe" ()!7. a -ew years a-ter the Ni8on Shock ()!(. ,ro0i"e" a #uch better insight to the to,ic
2Lying4 than any essay in 2The 3roble# o- Truth4 in Truth, Myth, and Symbol%
I "i" rea" the book in the 9er#an 0ersion an" "ocu#ente" #y notes years ago% Sissela Bok "e0ote"
aroun" (: cha,ters to 0arious -or#s o- lying an" I "eci"e" three categories as really serious lies
;
.
which are rele0ant to the categories 2econo#y4 an" 2,olitics4:
Cha,ter <III Lies in a crisis
Cha,ter =II Lies -or the 3ublic 9oo" The Noble Lie. >8a#,les o- ,olitical "ece,tion.
?ece,tion an" Consent
Cha,ter =I< 3aternalistic Lies
@ro# these categories 2Lies in a crisis4 #ust be consi"ere" as a 0irtual argu#ent. because the lies
ha0e been starte" "eca"es ago an" none o- the res,onsible lea"ers e0er trie" to turn the ti"e% The
last really courageous e--ort (to increase the le0el o- interest rates) has been #a"e by 3aul <olcker
+:((

%
( &lso: Cor,orate #e"ia or #ainstrea# #e"ia
+ Cursing >8,lo"es with Crisis
; The contents5 o0er0iew is "ocu#ente" in Lying: Moral choice in ,ublic an" ,ri0ate li-e A Bok
3aul <olcker5s Besignation
%aternalisti& Lies as a 'odel
The best -it o- all lying categories see#e" to be Paternalistic Lies. which are being use" by central
bankers in their ,aternalistic ,osition o- su,erior 2parents4 o0er ignorant children%
Bok starts the cha,ter by /uoting 1ugo 9rotius
C
at the intro:
=II% In the -irst ,lace. #any things #ay be sai" to #a"#en. or chil"ren. the LIT>B&L
M>&NIN9 o- which #ay not be true. without incurring the guilt o- will-ul -alsehoo"% &
,ractice which see#s to be allowe" by the co##on sense o- all #ankin"% Duintilian.
s,eaking o- the age o- ,uerility. says. it is a ,erio" o- li-e. when #any use-ul truths #ay
be taught in the "ress o- -iction%E&nother reason gi0en is. that as chil"ren an" #a"#en
,ossess no ,er-ect ,ower o- ju"ging. i#,ositions o- that kin" can "o no injury to their
rights. in such res,ects%
The #ost striking argu#ent -or lea"ers is to consi"er co##on ,eo,le as #a"#en or chil"ren% That
is they #ay ha0e been intelligent enough to 0ote -or their lea"ers. but in other "ecisions (than 0oting
lea"ers) they are unable to "iscern between goo" an" ba"% &n" -or those who are unable to "iscern
there cannot be any injury to their rights%
Those who 0ote" -or their lea"ers an" ga0e the# unli#ite" ,ower "eser0e no right to ju"ge the
lea"ers5 "ecisions% 9i0ing unli#ite" ,ower to any instance starts a -reely chosen -or# o-
"ictatorshi,. so#ehow co#,arable to legal guar"ians -or the ignorant chil"% Most countries an"
states ha0e laws that ,ro0i"e that the ,arents o- a #inor chil" are the legal guar"ians o- that chil"%
In Cha,ter =II Sissila Bok e8,lains how go0ern#ents are a,,lying a large scale -or# o-
#ani,ulation on a base o- ,aternalis#% 3laton was the -irst to ha0e "escribe" the Noble Lie
*
% It is
the 29entle#an5s Lie4. which #ay be justi-ie" by his superior education (e0en i- it is an e0il
e"ucation -or cri#inal ,ur,oses)% The liar hi#sel- or hersel- #ay e0en be ignorant o- the cri#inal
,ur,ose an" act as an innocent ,u,,et on a string%
&ccor"ing to Bok5s "escri,tion each go0ern#ent #ust be allowe" to lie to a certain e8tent in or"er
to be able to go0ern the ,eo,le%
The criteria -or allowing the go0ern#ent to use lies #ust be "iscusse" in ,ublic an" "eci"e" by
0oting% Ftherwise the go0ern#ent #ay act a" lib to #ani,ulate anything they wish% Sissila Bok
"ocu#ents so#e o- these cases in the cha,ter 2?ece,tion an" Consent4%
Sissila Bok suggests
that lies to the ,ublic ne0er shoul" be #a"e a routine without "e-ining s,ecial
,rotections% 3ublic checking the justi-ication o- "ece,ti0e ,ractices are nee"e" #ore
than e0er
!
%
1er conclusion o- this cha,ter =II A 2Deception and Consent4 is:
In a "e#ocracy only "ece,ti0e ,ractices. which ha" been "iscusse" ,ublicly an" in
a"0ance ha0e been acce,te" in consent. #ay be consi"ere" as justi-ie"%
C Cha,ter I: Ghat is Law-ul in Gar% Book III% Hugo rotius ...
* Duote" in Bok5s #anuscri,t at the into to cha,ter =II
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