Arguments/Definitions
Summarize Smiths argument in a few sentences.
- Humans who were better liars were more likely to survive thousands of years ago so lying was essentially passed down to us from our ancestors like a biological trait
- Function is more important than intention
- If you aren't telling someone the whole truth then you are lying by deceiving them
"Lying can stated or unstated, verbal or non-verbal, conscious or unconscious"
Self - deception: when someone unconsciously deceives themselves
Any intentionally deceptive message which is stated.
Which author has this definition of a lie?
Bok
Lying is not exceptional; it is normal, and more often spontaneous and unconscious than cynical and coldly analytical.
Smith.
Key word = unconscious, only Smith thinks you can unconsciously lie, every other author says it has to be intentional
Twains Silent Lie is most like what other authors defined lie?
Harris's Lie of omission
Silent Lie = Where someone may believe something the speaker knows is false and the speaker does nothing to alter the belief
Lie of omission = doing nothing to correct a false statement that harms another OR benefits the self
Who argues that lying should be avoided at all costs?
Harris
According to Hancock which form of communication is the most deceptive and which is the least?
Most = Face to Face (mostly smaller white lies)
Least = Email (internet leaves proof of lies so people are more careful since they don't wanna get caught)
What does Twain mean by Judicious Lying?
"to lie with good intent in mind"
“I see nothing wrong with either a narrow or wider definition of lying”
Bok
Define Boks moral domain and general domain.
Which of the following word belong in each category.
Falsity, Falsehood, Truth, Truthfulness
Moral Domain = The ethical side of lying that focuses on intentions. WHY did someone choose to lie.
General Domain = The factual side of lying that focuses on what was said. How does the lie differ from the truth.
Falsity = Moral - being insincere
Falsehood = General - being untrue
Truth = General - being correct factually
Truthfulness = Moral - being honest
Which author(s) argue that the function of lying is important and which author(s) argue that the intention of lying is important.
Function = Smith
Intention = Literally everyone else
Which 2 authors argue that how we evolved to speak has influenced how we lie?
Hancock + Smith
Any form of behavior the _____ of which is to provide others with false information or to deprive them of true information.
What word is missing from Smiths definition?
Function
“...the research over the last 50 years says there's actually no reliable [visual] cue to deception…”
Hancock
He talks about what lying looks like face to face and online written down.
Define and give an example for Lie of Commission and Lie of Omission.
Lie of Commission: conscious intent to gain something from lying - giving someone false information
Lie of Omission: doing nothing to correct a false statement - not correcting someone who already has false information
According to Hancock what is the most reliable visual cue that someone is lying or being deceptive?
None.
There is no reliable cue to deception.
Humans are absolutely terrible at spotting deception with about 54% accuracy.
What is self-deception according to Smith and how is it possible.
Self - Deception = Any mental process or behavior the function of which is to conceal information from one’s own mind.
Lying can be conscious or unconscious, verbal or nonverbal, stated or unstated.
He says all thinking is essentially unconscious so it is possible to unconsciously lie to ourselves
What is the major difference and similarity between Harris's definition of lying and the standard definition of lying?
Harris: When one intentionally misleads others when they expect honest communication.
Standard: A false statement uttered with the intent to deceive.
Harris argues you only need to mislead someone where the standard definition requires an actual statement.
Harris also mentions expectation of the receiver of the lie which isn't included in the standard definition.
Both include intention in their definition.
“An awkward unscientific lie is often as ineffectual as the truth”
Which author said this and which other author would agree with him?
Twain said this and Harris would agree with him
Harris thinks if your'e trying to avoid telling an ugly/mean truth telling a lie poorly is just as bad as telling the ugly truth. So Harris would agree with that statement but would say its better to avoid the truth without lying and Twain would argue that they should learn how to lie better if they are going to lie at al.
What is misinformation and disinformation and what is the major difference between the two?
Misinformation: False information that is spread regardless of deceitful intent
Disinformation: Deliberately spreading information that is false or phrased in a way to make the reader suspect it is false.
Difference = Intention
Which authors argue that lying is natural?
Twain + Smith
Explain what the sense of a word vs the reference of a word is.
The sense of a word is what we understand when we understand the word’s meaning.
The reference of the word is what the word denotes or points to in the world.
Define the three types of lies Hancock argues were created through by the internet and give an example for each.
Butler Lie: used to buffer emotional distance and protect the relationship between two people
Sock Puppet Lie: a lie about the speaker's identity (usually use the internet but not exclusively)
Chinese Water Army: Lie about identity on a large scale from many individual people
"the moment we consider our dishonesty from the perspective of those we lied to, we recognize that we would feel betrayed if the roles were reversed"
Harris
Define the three types of definitions and give an example for each.
Reportive Definition: Standard use of a word/ what is found in the dictionary
Stipulative Definition: Definition created based on a specific circumstance.
Essentialist Definition: Depends on essential nature of word
According to Patil what are three reasons Fake News has become so prominent and successful online?
- People are more likely to believe news sources that we agree with - confirmation bias
- People don't know how to spot fake news/dismediation and aren't aware of how pervasive it is in their daily lives
- Fake News can reach a wide audience in a short amount of time
- The actual social media platforms can only ever be partly successful in banking Fake News, It is extremely hard to get rid of.
- Most propaganda occurs in the messaging portions of the platforms and most messages are apolitical.