Lying

by Sam Harris

A wasteland of embarrassment and social upheaval can be neatly avoided by following a single precept in life: Do not lie.

Saving our friends disappointment and embarrassment is a great kindness.

Unlike statements of fact, which require no further work on our part, lies must be continually protected

from collisions with reality. When you tell the truth, you have nothing to keep track of.

In fact, suspicion often grows on both sides of a lie: Research indicates that liars trust those they deceive less than they otherwise might—and the more damaging their lies, the less they trust, or even like, their victims. It seems that in protecting their egos, and interpreting their own behavior as justified, liars tend to deprecate the people they lie to.

scandal-proof. Vulnerability comes in pretending to be someone you are not.

However, the need for governments to deceive their own people seems to me to be exiguous to the point of nonexistence—an ethical mirage. Just when you think you’ve reached it, the facts tend to suggest otherwise. And the harm occasioned whenever lies of this kind are uncovered seems all but irreparable.