I’d say it’s technically a lie: an intentional misleading. Paltering is its close cousin.
People who palter often believe it is less unethical than outright lying
God I hate those people (no wonder the example used is a used car salesman)
Disagree. It’s deceptive, but not a lie. A lie is a deliberately false statement, which omission cannot be.
A deception is a lie though, they’re synonyms.
That’s not totally true. Usually a lie by omission is implying something, and that something isn’t true. It is deliberately instilling a sense of false knowledge. You didn’t specifically say it, but you still conveyed it. It’s still a lie.
Saying something sarcastic is not the same as saying it non-sarcastically, for example. What is conveyed is what’s important, not what is said.
It is deception, it is not a lie. Not all deception is lying.
I like this, it helps a lot
All lies are deceptions, but not all deceptions are lies
My silence was not a lie; you guessed about reality, and I just didn’t correct you
Depends. Intentionally omitting information in order to mislead? That’s a lie. Simply not mentioning something? Or not mentioning it because it’s embarrassing for you or someone else, because you didn’t think it was relevant, or because it’s not their business or not your business to share? Not really a lie. Not in the same way anyway.
The intent matters. Did you omit something on purpose to serve your own agenda/narrative or did you omit something for some other reason.
If you’re omitting something to serve yourself it’s a lie.
It really depends on context.
Disagree
All lies are deceptions, but not all deceptions are lies
Lies are specific acts that are done, not acting is in itself not an act
Conservation of energy cannot be called an expenditure of energy
When people call something a “lie by omission” it’s an attempt to shift the blame wholly to the other person rather than deal with the fact that part of the blame belongs to themselves
My silence was not a lie; you guessed about reality, and I just didn’t correct you
You can still use it as a basis for future distrust and you can still use it as a reason to cut off or minimize future encounters
But it is not and should not be considered a malicious action against you as you would a lie
I would disagree that omission is not malicious; the intent of the omitter can be any reason. Perhaps not malicious in every case, but it could be as ill-meaning as any lie.
This just feels like mental gymnastics to me
You can absolutely fail to disabuse people of incorrect notions for malicious reasons.
No, this is wrong. Withholding information is definitely a lie by omission and comes in many flavors.
Failure to report - Knowingly withholding information about a severe crime.
Obstruction of justice - Intentionally hiding or omitting details to mislead authority.
Accessory after the fact - Omitting or lying about information to avoid becoming an accessory to a crime
Material omission - Omitting crucial information in relation to a financial crime AKA fraud.
Your silence in these situations is most definitely a lie. I think you are stuck on only action being considered a lie, but inaction is considered a lie by omission in these situations. This is a legal definition, so please keep that in mind.
I think omission can be used for misleading/deception, but that it’s distinct from a lie.
If the person lying by omission has the intent of causing the recipient to have false understanding (e.g. to provide basis for a choice) then it’s at least as dishonest as a blatant lie.
If they omit information because they think it’s irrelevant then it’s just ignorance or negligence. Dishonest in the sense that it’s not forthright.
Neither lies nor omission are inherently unethical without some basis for the relation between the two people being honesty/loyalty.
Reminds me of Wheel of Time
Something like “shall speak no word that which is not true” is one of the 3 oaths… but they can still deceive without technically lying…
Your dress is green.
There is no Black Ajah.
I think it depends on the context. If it’s like a close friend and the deception screws you over and was an unexpected betrayal, then it’s basically a lie. If there’s some reason someone might suck at a job and they don’t mention it in the interview and were not asked, that’s different because it’s an adversarial situation and looking out for yourself means not showing all your cards, and everyone should understand that it’s like that.
Hrm. I can see that point of view, but reeeeeaaaaly still feels like a lie to me. Thanks
The core of dishonesty is disrespect for others and the truth. That’s the core issue. Focusing on the method of prevarication is academic.
I think we need better/more descriptive words for lying and deception.
When I tell my child to stay still for the injection because it wont be very sore and they’ll hardly feel it, its not out of disrespect or malice. It is a fucking straight-up lie though I remember getting them when I was a kid.
Edit : for the most part I agree with you, but i think better language could help. Lying to sell a timeshare and lying to get a kid to take their medicine are basically the same thing even though theyre very different.
I’m not sure how I feel about your answer, but I appreciate it as a perspective and am glad you shared it.
If it’s on purpose to deceive, I guess.
Yes, that’s why it’s called that
It’s only called that by detractors. Those take a more positive view call it “discretion”.
Not sure I’d call it a lie according to these definitions…
A lie is an assertion that is believed to be false
a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth
We don’t need to call it a lie to ackowledge it still carries the same moral burden, judgement and implications.
I’d call it deception.
agree.
but context matters.
