A superb (and, for me, very valuable) account is given by JM Smith over at the Orthosphere. It begins...
Big lies are designed to hoodwink little liars. Big lies work because little liars wrongly suppose that all lies are like their own picayune fibs, and because little liars lack the imagination to conceive of falsehood on a grand scale. Big lies work equally well on most honest men and women, since the lies these honest men and women pride themselves on not telling are, in most cases, picayune little lies.
But - Read The Whole Thing.
2 comments:
Interesting but will quible--and this Dr. Charlton definitely in your wheelhouse. Forgot where I read that humans are not designed for truth seeking rather are wired for survival. People go along to get along and if it means going along with a lie or to in order to avoid trouble so be it. How many dinners have you attended where the hosts cooking is less than stellar and you (or most people) complement the "fabulous meal" (how many of us have done that with our spouse?)Am sure the psychologists have a term for this. Its one of our flaws I suppose reminds me of an incident where one of my siblings perhaps 3 at the time at the supermarket said something like I want the same cereal as that fat lady..She learned that lying is o.k. and so it goes.... small lies lead to bigger ones and on and on....
@RJC - I think you've missed the point - the JMS post is about the Big Lie; not about generic dishonesty.
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