J. E.

Mahon
Washington and Lee University

Deceive is a success verb

Lie is not a success verb

To lie is not to deceive

Question: s to lie to atte!"t to deceive#

$n a %alse state!ent !ade &ith the intention to deceive '() vi to !a*e a %alse state!ent &ith
the intention to deceive+ ,-ha!bers Dictionary.

$,intr. to s"ea* untruth%ully &ith intent to !islead or deceive '() n an untrue or dece"tive
state!ent deliberately used to !islead+ ,Ti!es English Dictionary.

$n. a %alse state!ent !ade &ith deliberate intent to deceive '() v.i. to s"ea* %alsely or utter
untruth *no&ingly0 as &ith intent to deceive+ ,1ando! 2ouse Dictionary.

$v to say so!ething &hich is not true in order to deceive+ ,-a!bridge nternational Dictionary
o% English.

$n. an intentionally %alse state!ent '() used &ith re%erence to a situation involving dece"tion or
%ounded on a !ista*en i!"ression+ ,34%ord 5!erican Dictionary.

$To utter %alsehood &ith an intention to deceive0 or &ith an i!!oral design+ ,5!erican
Dictionary.

$a %alse state!ent !ade &ith intent to deceive+ ,34%ord English Dictionary.

$n. 5 %alse state!ent deliberately "resented as being true6 a %alsehood '() 7o!ething !eant to
deceive or give the &rong i!"ression. '() To "resent %alse in%or!ation &ith the intention o%
deceiving.+ ,5!erican 2eritage Dictionary.

$The 5!erican 2eritage Dictionary de%ines bald8

%aced lie as an undisguised lie. % lying re9uires
an intention to deceive0 then lies !ust be
disguised. % lying re9uires an intent to deceive0
then lies !ust be disguised. '() Thus the %irst
!ystery about bald8%aced lies is se!antic: Why
isnt bald8%aced lie a contradiction in ter!s#
Why0 instead0 is the bald8%aced lie the !ost
obvious *ind o% lie#+

8 7orensen0 $:ald8;aced Lies< Lying Without the

ntent to Deceive+0 =aci%ic =hiloso"hical Quarterly
>> ,?@@A.: ?B?

% $a bald8%aced lie+ !eans lie &ithout

intention to deceive0 then it contradicts
Dictionarys o&n de%inition o% $lie+

Dictionary de%ines $bold8%aced+ as

$!"rudent6 braCen+0 and gives as e4a!"le $a
bold8%aced lie+

$a bold8%aced lie+ is not one &ithout intention

to deceive

s there any di%%erence bet&een $a bald8%aced

lie+ and $a bold8%aced lie+#

$D 2o& !any soldiers have you ad!itted

today# as* a doctor.

D There are no soldiers here0 the doctor says.

D :ut they are &earing uni%or!s#

D see no uni%or!s0 he says0 and "ushes !e

out. D Eou !ust go no&0 do you hear#+

7eierstad0 5 2undred and 3ne Days: 5

:aghdad Journal0 trans. ngrid
-hristo"hersen. ,FE: :asic :oo*s0 ?@@G.: ?H?

$3nce &hen the "ianist 5nton 1ubinstein

&as "racticing0 the tele"hone rang
inconveniently. 2is servant ;ranIois "ic*ed
u" the "hone and re"orted to the %e!ale
caller that the !aestro &as not ho!e. 7he
obJected $:ut hear hi! "laying.+ $Eou are
!ista*en0 Mada!e+ insisted ;ranIois $ a!
dusting the "iano *eys+.+ ,?BG.

$;or e4a!"le0 the &ords 7he is not at ho!e0

delivered by a servant or relative at the door0
have beco!e a !ere eu"he!is! %or
indis"osition or disinclination. 7ince the author
o% the !essage *no&s that the reci"ient &ill
inter"ret it as a "olite &ay o% saying0 t is
inconvenient %or !e to see you no&0 there is no
intention o% !a*ing hi! believe so!ething that
she ,the author. does not believe( a "olite lie is
o%ten no lie at all.+

5rnold senberg0 $Deontology and the ethics o%

lying+0 =hiloso"hy and =heno!enological
1esearch ?K ,LMHK.: KAG.

$3ne !orning0 a young !an is leaving his %ather8in8la&s chic*en coo"

carrying t&o hens &hose nec*s he has Just &rung. 2e has been stealing
%ro! his %ather8in8la&s coo" %or several !onths. This !orning his
%ather8in8la& is &aiting outside &ith a shot gun. There is an
e!barrassed silence0 and then the young %ello& says0 &as chec*ing to
see ho& things &ere in the coo" and %ound these t&o hens0 theyre still
&ar!. My co!ing by !ust have %rightened the thie% a&ay.

7ince it is B a.!. and the son8in8la& lives t&o !iles a&ay0 the old
!an sees through the story. 2e *no&s his son8in8la& is a chic*en thie%.
:ut does the young !an *no& that he has been %ound out# Well yes0 he
*no&s his %ather8in8la& is too s!art to %all %or his sha*y story. :ut the
old !an0 %or the sa*e o% %a!ily unity0 is going to "retend not to *no&.
5nd the son8in8la& is able to recogniCe this. :ut does the old !an *no&
that his son8in8la& realiCes that he has seen through his story# Ees0 he
can tell %ro! the young !ans !anner. 5nd does the son8in8la& see
that his %ather8in8la& not only sees through his alibi but also sees that
the son8in8la& is going to try to $%ace it out+ even though he has been
caught# 5gain yes.+

Ja!es -argile0 $5 Fote 3n $terated Nno&ings+0 5nalysis G@ ,LMA@.: LBK.

D $ &as chec*ing to see ho& things &ere in

the coo" and %ound these t&o hens0 theyre
still &ar!. My co!ing by !ust have
%rightened the thie% a&ay.+

D $! glad you %rightened hi! a&ay. 2e

"robably &ont be bac* here again.+

$ hated the stu%%iness involved in su""osing that

s"ace and ti!e &ere only in !y !ind0 li*ed the
starry heavens even better than the !oral la&0
and could not bear Nants vie& that the one
li*ed best &as only a subJective %ig!ent. n the
%irst e4uberance o% liberation0 beca!e a naOve
realist0 and reJoiced in the thought that grass is
really green0 in s"ite o% the adverse o"inions o%
all "hiloso"hers %ro! Loc*e on&ards.+

:ertrand 1ussell0 My =hiloso"hical Develo"!ent

,London: 5llen P Un&in0 LMBM.: HL8?.

$7o &hen &as seventeen &e understood that

&e &ere not %ree0 that &e lived in danger.
learned ho& to behave li*e a good ra9i D in
other &ords0 to lie. 5l&ays and every&here0
have been a liar ever since. ( The tyrant has
gone and need lie no longer. :ut %or thirty
years have lived under the s*in o% a liar.
Fo& !ust %ree !ysel%.+

7eierstad ,?@@G: G@H. 'date &rong in te4t)

$E4a!"le L: 5n elected o%%icial says at a "ress

con%erence0 $3ur "olicies have i!"roved the
9uality o% li%e %or all citiCens.+

E4a!"le ?: 5 cor"orate accountant

addressing a "ublic in9uiry says0 $ had no
*no&ledge o% %iscal i!"ro"rieties &ithin our
co!"any.++

Ti! Nenyon0 $-ynical 5ssertion: -onvention0

=rag!atics0 and 7aying $Uncle++0 5!erican
=hiloso"hical Quarterly K@ ,?@@G.: ?K?.

Let us i!agine that there is so!e co!"any in des"erate

straits that cannot be bailed out by the govern!ent i% it
trans"ires that the accountants in the co!"any carried out
any %iscal i!"ro"rieties. !agine that everyone D all "arties
involved and the general "ublic D *no&s that the accountants
in the co!"any did indeed carry out %iscal i!"ro"rieties.
2o&ever0 i!agine that everyone &ants this co!"any to be
bailed out by the govern!ent in s"ite o% this. !agine that
the only &ay to do this is %or the accountants to !a*e
untruth%ul state!ents li*e $ had no *no&ledge o% %iscal
i!"ro"rieties &ithin our co!"any+ be%ore a "ublic in9uiry0
&ithout any intention to be believed0 and %or the "eo"le
conducting the in9uiry0 and the rest o% the "ublic0 to si!"ly
say nothing. Nenyon does say that $7uch s"ea*ers are really
Just $going through the !otions++.

Nenyon ,?@@G.: ?K?.

$7u""ose that &itness a cri!e and clearly see that a

"articular individual co!!itted the cri!e. Later0 the
sa!e "erson is accused o% the cri!e and0 as a &itness
in court0 a! as*ed &hether or not sa& the de%endant
co!!it the cri!e. !a*e the %alse state!ent that did
not see the de%endant co!!it the cri!e0 %or %ear o%
being har!ed or *illed by hi!. t does not necessarily
%ollo& that intend that !y %alse state!ents deceive
anyone. , !ight ho"e that no one believes !y
testi!ony and that he is convicted in s"ite o% it.. '()
do not intend to deceive the Jury in this case0 but it
see!s clear that !y %alse testi!ony &ould constitute a
lie.+

Tho!as L. -arson0 $The De%inition o% Lying+0 FoQs K@

,?@@H.: ?>M.

$a college Dean( has a %ir!0 but uno%%icial0 "olicy o% never

u"holding a "ro%essors charge that a student cheated on an e4a!
unless the student con%esses in &riting to having cheated. The Dean
is very cynical about this and believes that students are guilty
&henever they are charged. 5 student is caught in the act o%
cheating on an e4a! by co"ying %ro! a crib sheet. The "ro%essor
%ails the student %or the course and the student a""eals the
"ro%essors decision to the Dean &ho has the ulti!ate authority to
assign the grade. The student is "rivy to in%or!ation about the
Deans de %acto "olicy and0 &hen called be%ore the Dean0 he ,the
student. a%%ir!s that he didnt cheat on the e4a!. 2e clai!s that he
&as not co"ying %ro! the co"y sheet. 2e clai!s that he inadvertently
%orgot to "ut his $revie& sheet+ a&ay &hen the e4a! began and that
he never loo*ed at it during the e4a!. The student says this on the
record in an o%%icial "roceeding and thereby &arrants the truth o% the
state!ents he *no&s to be %alse. 2e intends to avoid "unish!ent by
doing this. 2e !ay have no intention o% deceiving the Dean that he
didnt cheat.+

-arson ,?@@H.: ?M@.

7orensen de%ines lying as %ollo&s:

$Lying is Just asserting &hat one does not

believe.+ ,?BH.

This de%inition stands in need o% a de%inition

o% assertion.

$L lies to D R
d%.
There is a "ro"osition " such that ,i.
either L believes that " is not true or L believes that " is
%alse and ,ii. L asserts " to D.+

The de%inition o% assertion that -hishol! and ;eehan

"rovide is as %ollo&s:

$L asserts " to D R
d%.
L states " to D and does so under
conditions &hich0 he believes0 Justi%y D in believing that
he0 L0 not only acce"ts "0 but also intends to contribute
causally to Ds believing that he0 L0 acce"ts ".+

1oderic* M. -hishol! and Tho!as D. ;eehan0 $The

ntent to Deceive0+ Journal o% =hiloso"hy0 AK ,LMAA.:
LB?.

$5 "erson lies &hen he asserts a "ro"osition he

believes to be %alse.+

$to assert S is to utter S in a conte4t such that

the utterance is intended to cause belie%+

$To !a*e an assertion is to give an assurance

that the state!ent is true.+

-harles ;ried0 1ight and Wrong ,-a!bridge0

Mass.: 2arvard University =ress0 LMA>.: BB8A.

$5ll assertions !ust at least have narro& "lausibility0

because &e need to %igure out &hat the s"ea*er
!eans. What &ould it be li*e %or the assertor to be
s"ea*ing %ro! *no&ledge# 3nce &e have the
!eaning o% the assertion in the %oreground0 &e can
test it against our bac*ground *no&ledge and against
%uture evidence.

To 9uali%y as an assertion0 a lie !ust have narro&

"lausibility. Thus0 so!eone &ho only had access to
the assertion !ight believe it. This is the grain o%
truth behind Lying re9uires the intention to deceive.
:ald8%aced lies sho& that assertions do not need to
!eet a re9uire!ent o% &ide "lausibility0 that is0
credibility relative to ones total evidence.+ ,?BB.

$Much o% &hat &e say does not constitute

assertion. We signal lac* o% assertive %orce by clear
%alsity ,as &ith !eta"hor. or by i!"lausibility.
When there is doubt about &hether &e are
asserting0 &e can clari%y the illocutionary %orce o%
the re!ar*: $ a! not *idding+0 $ &as describing
the conse9uences0 not threatening+0 and by
ado"ting a straight %ace and sober tone to evince
sincerity.

:ald8%aced liars &ill clari%y the assertive status

o% their re!ar*s. '() There &ill be no nod or &in*
to sho& that this is a ga!e. '() 3nly assertion &ill
do the tric*.+ ,?BH.

$5 utters a sentence $7+0 &here $7+ !eans

that =0 in doing &hich either he e4"resses
his belie% that =0 or he intends the "erson
addressed to ta*e it that he believes that =.+

:ernard Willia!s0 Truth and Truth%ulness:

5n Essay in Tenealogy ,=rinceton0 FJ:
=rinceton University =ress0 ?@@?.: MH.

Lie R d%.$conscious e4"ression o% other than &hat &e

believe.+

Warren 7hibles0 Lying: 5 -ritical 5nalysis ,White&ater0

W: The Language =ress0 LM>B.: GG.

7hibless de%inition allo&s %or lying to absolutely no one.

-an !a*e an assertion0 according to 7orensens

account o% assertion0 to no one ,not even to !ysel%.#

% so0 then !ay lie to no one ,not even onesel%..

2o&ever0 surely one !ay not lie to no one ,not even
onesel%..

% not0 then &hy not# What does it !ean to !a*e an

assertion to a "erson0 as o""osed to ,!erely. !a*ing a
state!ent to a "erson#