The intent matters. Did you omit something on purpose to serve your own agenda/narrative or did you omit something for some other reason.
If you’re omitting something to serve yourself it’s a lie.
I’d say it’s technically a lie: an intentional misleading. Paltering is its close cousin.
yin-lies & yang-lies are on the same spectrum, but at different ends of it.
It isn’t a binary/dichotomy.
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Depends. Intentionally omitting information in order to mislead? That’s a lie. Simply not mentioning something? Or not mentioning it because it’s embarrassing for you or someone else, because you didn’t think it was relevant, or because it’s not their business or not your business to share? Not really a lie. Not in the same way anyway.
Disagree
All lies are deceptions, but not all deceptions are lies
Lies are specific acts that are done, not acting is in itself not an act
Conservation of energy cannot be called an expenditure of energy
When people call something a “lie by omission” it’s an attempt to shift the blame wholly to the other person rather than deal with the fact that part of the blame belongs to themselves
My silence was not a lie; you guessed about reality, and I just didn’t correct you
You can still use it as a basis for future distrust and you can still use it as a reason to cut off or minimize future encounters
But it is not and should not be considered a malicious action against you as you would a lie
The his just feels like mental gymnastics to me
You can absolutely fail to disabuse people of incorrect notions for malicious reasons.
I would disagree that omission is not malicious; the intent of the omitter can be any reason. Perhaps not malicious in every case, but it could be as ill-meaning as any lie.
A lie is based on intent. If you’re purposely intending to mislead someone, whether by omitting information or by outright stating false information, then it’s a lie.
Omission can be a lie as long as the intent is to deceive. Thats an important element to making something a lie
I run into this with my wife because we put different importance on different information, and I tend to go for succinct rather than take an hour to get something across.
I think the issue with this situation is often one person assuming they know what’s important and what’s not instead of letting the other person decide for themselves once they’re given the full info, it’s why omissions are often considered lies.
I wouldn’t consider it in a vacuum. I also look at intent and consequences. Did they omit info to gain advantage over others, or were they refusing to tell a Nazi where they hid the jews? Did their choice lead to a better outcome for everyone, or did it cause chaos and disrupt lives needlessly?
Everyone going “duh it’s still a lie” - calling someone a liar carries a specific connotation which I don’t think applies in all cases of so-called “lies”. To me, a lie carries with it not just an intentional falsehood but an accusation or an accusable misdeed. I wouldn’t call someone a liar because they hid jews from nazis.
A lie is still a lie, even if it’s told to a Nazi or if there’s an otherwise good outcome
Ooh I like that perspective.
Disagree. It’s deceptive, but not a lie. A lie is a deliberately false statement, which omission cannot be.
A deception is a lie though, they’re synonyms.
If Jean-Luc Picard says it’s so, it’s so.
Completely serious - I often use WWJLPD to inform a decision I have to make.
Jean-Luc Piucard demands you make it so
If it’s on purpose to deceive, I guess.
The core of dishonesty is disrespect for others and the truth. That’s the core issue. Focusing on the method of prevarication is academic.
I think we need better/more descriptive words for lying and deception.
When I tell my child to stay still for the injection because it wont be very sore and they’ll hardly feel it, its not out of disrespect or malice. It is a fucking straight-up lie though I remember getting them when I was a kid.
Edit : for the most part I agree with you, but i think better language could help. Lying to sell a timeshare and lying to get a kid to take their medicine are basically the same thing even though theyre very different.
Yes.
And lie by suggestion and implication is also a lie.
Are you sure you’re not really asking if lying is good or bad? To me that’s an important distinction that should be addressed.
My kids used to believe in Santa and the Tooth Fairy. I perpetuated those lies because it was fun for everyone, and the boys enjoyed it. Now they’re older and know better, and they understand both sides. They were not hurt or upset.
But if I know my friend’s wife is cheating on him, and I don’t say anything to him, then obviously that’s bad and my friend would be devastated even more to find out I withheld such important information.
We often conflate “not telling lies” with “all lies are bad”, and that’s not always true.
The CIA recognizes it as a lie. So a lie.
Using the CIA for a litmus test is a bold move
