74
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] Thorny_Insight@lemm.ee 5 points 7 months ago

I consider lying to be on the spectrum of violence. If one can avoid physical violence by telling a lie, then it's justified. However if one is constantly telling white lies in order to avoid causing discomfort to themselves or others then I think there's some room for introspection about your motives and the emotional stability of the people around you.

[-] lvxferre@mander.xyz 3 points 7 months ago

I consider lying to be on the spectrum of violence.

Could you go further on that? I consider lying and violence apples and oranges, but the idea that they're part of a spectrum is interesting.

About white lies: it's interesting that you mentioned them since it's one of the situations where I actively avoid lying. For me a white lie is a form of belittlement; it's like saying "you aren't a rational human being, but a fragile little piece of junk, that would harm itself with the truth".

[-] Thorny_Insight@lemm.ee 3 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

It depends on how one defines violence but personally I think of it as intentionally causing harm to others. It can be both physical or psychological. If you can de-escalate a threatening situation by telling a lie then I think that it's justifiable assuming the alternative would've been physical violence. I think rules like "don't lie" or "don't be violent" are good rules of thumb but not absolute. Almost nothing is. There's always exceptions to these rules. Another example that comes to mind is if a severely depressed and perhaps even suicidal person is showing you a painting they made and you don't like it at all. If you have a valid reason to worry that they legitimately can't handle the truth right now then you probably should lie. Again, you're intentionally causing harm (lying) but honesty would cause even greater harm so choosing the lesser one I think is justifiable.

It's a bit slippery slope argument but I think it applies in the most obvious extreme cases that might happen only a handful of times in ones lifetime if even that. I mostly don't believe in absolutes so that's why I hesitate to say that lying is always to be avoided. It's still a good rule of thumb though.

[-] lvxferre@mander.xyz 3 points 7 months ago

It might be a bit slippery slope, but it sounds practical. I personally don't consider them in the same spectrum but I don't see any inconsistency in doing so.

Thank you for the reply!

this post was submitted on 13 Mar 2024
74 points (93.0% liked)

Ask Lemmy

26669 readers
1647 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions

Please don't post about US Politics.


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS