Humanity has been programmed to believe that lying is unnatural and bad. While it can be very harmful, is it really unnatural? Human beings lie all the time.
Take a look at the video “Necessary Lies” with writer and orator Ian Leslie. It was reported on in Wired and delineates the myths about lying, gives surprising statistics and insightful commentary on human as well as primate manipulability and predictability.
“Lying isn’t a bug in the human software [but] is a defining characteristic of our species and fundamental to all human societies,” Leslie purports. He goes on to note that we [individuals] believe our own lies to be harmless white lies and simultaneously see other people’s lies as terrible, harmful and even malicious.
His insights come from research and discussions with psychologists, neuroscientists as well as anthropologists.
Leslie makes the bold statement that no society can function without lying and lies. He even suggests that they are necessary and in some cases desirable. He points out that according to social scientists; lying and truth telling exist in equilibrium.
What do you think about Leslie’s points? Do you agree?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eNxxoLByS4&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]