Lying: are some lies more acceptable than others?

"Lying has long been a part of everyday life. We couldn't get through the day without being deceptive."

This was said by Leonard Saxe, a polygraph expert and professor of psychology at Brandeis University. He is just one of many people that think this. Lying holds many negative connotations and can wreck many things such as friendships, relationships and careers.

Most people will agree that there are different types of lies, ones that are deemed acceptable to tell and others that aren’t.


The lies that people tell frequently/daily are often known as “white lies”. These are lies that people tell often believing that it will benefit themselves or others, causing little or no damage. Examples of these lies include telling an overweight friend “you don’t look fat in them jeans” or telling your boss your late for a meeting because your car broke down, rather than that you overslept.


However, there are lies which are commonly acknowleged as being very bad and damaging, and which shouldn’t be told. These lies tend to hurt other people and cover up for situations which are morally wrong. Examples of this type of lying includes cheating in marriages and lying to cover up a crime such as stealing.

Ultimately, a lies a lie. So is it fair that one lie should be acceptable to tell and another not? I think a lie becomes unacceptable when it is damaging to someone else wihtout them being in the wrong, and accpetable when it is done with good intentions and might benefit a persons well being, as well as not hurting anyone else in the process.


http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/199705/the-truth-about-lying