2. Centrality of Truthfullness Respect Trust “Respect for the word—to employ it with scrupulous care and incorruptible heartfelt love of truth—is essential if there is to be any growth in society or in the human race.” Dag Hammarskjold “If there is no confidence in the truthfulness of others, is there any way to assess their fairness, their intentions to help or to harm? How then can they be trusted? Whatever matters to human beings, trust is the atmosphere in which it thrives.” Sissela Bok
3. 1. Lies in religious teaching. 2. Lies that harm others and help no one. 3. Lies that harm others and help someone. 4. Lies told for the pleasure of lying. St. Augustine’s Hierarchy of Lies [8]
4. 5. Lies told to “please others in smooth discourse.” 6. Lies that harm no one and that help someone. 7. Lies that harm no one and that save someone’s life. 8. Lies that harm no one and that save someone’s ‘purity.’
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6. Falsehood, taken by itself, not accompanied by other circumstances or causing any ill effects “can NEVER, upon the principles of utility, constitute an offense at all”
7.
8. Categorical imperative: “Act only on those maxims that you could at the same time will to be a universal law.” Kant: Deontological ethics Non-consequentialist: regardless of the reason, one must not lie because universal lying would be self defeating… communication would break down Rule based, and justice based
9. A negative weight should be attached to every lie: lying requires explanation; truth does not The liar bears a burden of proof that his or her lie is necessary as a last resort: trust in veracity is a foundation of the relations among human beings—when shattered, institutions collapse Therefore, acceptable alternatives to lying that accomplish the same end are to be sought and, if discovered, chosen Sissela Bok: The Principle of Veracity
10. St. Augustine’s lies in religious teaching Satan the “father of the lie” (I John 2.22) denial of God equals a lie When issues around what is a permissible lie and what not—the issue [may] became when it was alright to keep the truth from others Secrets, Sissela Bok But, if there is a Hierarchy of truth…
11. A secret is: something studiously hidden A thing unknown; something not yet discovered Privacy, secrecy; invisible or undiscovered state Samuel Johnson in his Dictionary: “secret” Secrecy
12. Concealment…through codes or disguises or camouflage…as in trade secrecy or professional confidentiality Concepts of sacredness, intimacy, silence, prohibition, furtiveness and deception influence how we define and think of secrecy Privacy is a fundamentally tied to secrecy Secrecy
13. The condition of being protected from unwanted access by others—either physical access, personal information, or attention Privacy Personal space and territoriality Doors, fences Rules of etiquette Veils, clothing Erving Goffman describes “total institutions” as places where diminishment or complete annihilation of privacy occurs: mental hospitals, prison
14. Read and comment on Worlds 1, 2, 3, & 4 Discuss the relative merits and demerits of each. Summarize the discussions in each thread for your final project. Which is to: CREATE your own World and Your place in it. IMAGINE: alternative worlds
