A suggestion on quest design and lying

smacx250

Lysette wrote: »

We are all lying on a daily basis - this is just human nature - it starts with "how are you doing?" - "fine, thanks" - normally a lie on both sides. One side does not care at all, and the other is not telling.

A question is not a lie. "To make an untrue statement with intent to deceive." That the asker may not care about the answer can not make a question a lie (now if they combined with a statement - "I'd really like to know..."). The answer, however, may very well be a lie. However, there has been a great deal of philosophical debate about lies designed to protect private information. Some say no lies ever (even if it means telling a killer where your brother he intends to murder is hiding), while some say some sorts of lies are acceptable given the circumstances (such as telling said killer that your brother left town even though he's hiding in the closet). It can be a very wide grey line, and asking "how are you doing?" can be way in the middle of that (e.g., someone has just been diagnosed with cancer and isn't prepared to broadcast that information in a generic exchange of greetings).

A thorough read on the subject is "Lying, Moral Choice in Public and Private Life", by Sissela Bok. (And no, I didn't seek that book out on my own - required reading for a college course decades ago):

Is it ever all right to lie? A philosopher looks at lying and deception in public and private life - in government, medicine, law, academia, journalism, in the family and between friends.
Lying is a penetrating and thoughtful examination of one of the most pervasive yet little discussed aspects of our public and private lives. Beginning with the moral questions raised about lying since antiquity, Sissela Bok takes up the justifications offered for all kinds of lies—white lies, lies to the sick and dying, lies of parents to children, lies to enemies, lies to protect clients and peers. The consequences of such lies are then explored through a number of concrete situations in which people are involved, either as liars or as the victims of a lie.

Only ~350 pages!

Hoolielulu

VaranisArano wrote: »

Hoolielulu wrote: »

So no lying even if it's for the greater good?

THE GREATER GOOD

Exactly the response I was looking for.

Lysette

smacx250 wrote: »

Lysette wrote: »

We are all lying on a daily basis - this is just human nature - it starts with "how are you doing?" - "fine, thanks" - normally a lie on both sides. One side does not care at all, and the other is not telling.

A question is not a lie. "To make an untrue statement with intent to deceive." That the asker may not care about the answer can not make a question a lie (now if they combined with a statement - "I'd really like to know..."). The answer, however, may very well be a lie. However, there has been a great deal of philosophical debate about lies designed to protect private information. Some say no lies ever (even if it means telling a killer where your brother he intends to murder is hiding), while some say some sorts of lies are acceptable given the circumstances (such as telling said killer that your brother left town even though he's hiding in the closet). It can be a very wide grey line, and asking "how are you doing?" can be way in the middle of that (e.g., someone has just been diagnosed with cancer and isn't prepared to broadcast that information in a generic exchange of greetings).

A thorough read on the subject is "Lying, Moral Choice in Public and Private Life", by Sissela Bok. (And no, I didn't seek that book out on my own - required reading for a college course decades ago):

Is it ever all right to lie? A philosopher looks at lying and deception in public and private life - in government, medicine, law, academia, journalism, in the family and between friends.
Lying is a penetrating and thoughtful examination of one of the most pervasive yet little discussed aspects of our public and private lives. Beginning with the moral questions raised about lying since antiquity, Sissela Bok takes up the justifications offered for all kinds of lies—white lies, lies to the sick and dying, lies of parents to children, lies to enemies, lies to protect clients and peers. The consequences of such lies are then explored through a number of concrete situations in which people are involved, either as liars or as the victims of a lie.

Only ~350 pages!

Well, courts see that differently - you are lying as well if you are telling just part of the truth and keep the rest to yourself. You have to swear that you are telling the whole truth without to add something false and without to leave something out.

And to ask something without to care for what the answer is, is deceiving - you pretend to care, but you don't. Do that in europe and people might just tell you what they feel like on that day - some people from overseas are quite disturbed when they get a real answer to this.