12

“After prolonged research on myself, I
brought out the fundamental duplicity of
the human being. Then I realized ... that
modesty helped me to shine, humility to
conquer, and virtue to oppress.”

—Albert Camus, “The Fall”

By Lindsay Jolivet, The Silhouette (McMaster)

HAMILTON (CUP)—Camus’ words revealed the complexity of honesty and
dishonesty, virtue and vice. Through his observation that moral behaviour can
cause damage, he implied the potential of immoral behaviour to prevent that
damage. I’m talking about lying, that baffling concept that has the power to
destroy relationships and restore egos.

+ Camus’ quote above, among others, introduces Sissela Bok’s Lying:
Moral Choice in Public Life. Bok’s text shows us that dishonesty can become
a complex moral issue. For example, the first lines of the book ask, “Should

 

physicians lie to dying patients so as to delay the fear and anxiety which the
truth might bring them? Should professors exaggerate the excellence of their
students on recommendations in order to give them a better chance in a tight
job market? Should parents conceal from children the fact that they were
adopted?”

These are difficult questions that reveal the potential of lies to bring
comfort, confidence and closeness, however false they may be. The familiar
proverb “honesty is the best policy” may not be as simple as it seemed when
we were told to believe it as children.

Research has shown that most people lie; however, Dr. Violetta Igneski,
a professor of ethics in communication at McMaster University, is not
concermed with empirical research

“Tn my class, I aim to teach students ways of reasoning through difficult
situations and ways of weighing various reasons and ordering different beliefs
and values they hold, rather than teaching them facts about lying,” she said.

Igneski is interested in moments when it might be good or right to lie,
and if doing so is ever “right.” Motivation informs whether a lie is justifiable.
We are all familiar with little white lies that protect others’ self-esteem.
Altruistic lies protect those being lied to from painful or difficult truths.

Igneski listed questions individuals can ask to determine whether lies are
justifiable.

“Would it really protect the individual being lied to? Would it really
bring about the best consequences? Are they really doing it for altruistic
reasons, or is there an underlying personal benefit?”

Convincing yourself that your motives for lying are selfless when they