Lying Author: Visit Amazon's Sam Harris Page | Language: English | ISBN:
1940051002 | Format: PDF
Lying Description
Review
"This essay is quite brilliant. (I was hoping it would be, so I wouldn't have to lie.) I honestly loved it from beginning to end. Lying is the most thought-provoking read of the year."
— Ricky Gervais
"Humans have evolved to lie well, and no doubt you've seen the social lubrication at work. In many cases, we might not think of it as a true "lie": perhaps a "white lie" once in a blue moon, the omission of a sensitive detail here and there, false encouragement of others when we see no benefit in dashing someone's hopes, and the list goes on. In Lying, Sam Harris demonstrates how to benefit from being brutally—but pragmatically—honest. It's a compelling little book with a big impact."
— Tim Ferriss, author of the New York Times bestsellers, The 4-Hour Body, The 4-Hour Workweek, and The 4-Hour Chef
"In this brief but illuminating work, Sam Harris applies his characteristically calm and sensible logic to a subject that affects us all—the human capacity to lie. And by the book's end, Harris compels you to lead a better life because the benefits of telling the truth far outweigh the cost of lies—to yourself, to others, and to society."
— Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist, American Museum of Natural History
About the Author
Sam Harris is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith, Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape, and Free Will. The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction.
Mr. Harris's writing has been published in more than 15 languages. He and his work have been discussed in The New York Times, Time, Scientific American, Nature, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, and many other journals. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Economist, Newsweek, The Times (London), The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, The Annals of Neurology, and elsewhere.
Mr. Harris is a cofounder and the CEO of Project Reason, a nonprofit foundation devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society. He received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA.
- Hardcover: 108 pages
- Publisher: Four Elephants Press (November 5, 2013)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1940051002
- ISBN-13: 978-1940051000
- Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 0.7 inches
- Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Those who know me know that I often say "reality is my God and integrity is my religion." By this I mean that what is real, as evidentially understood, is my primary allegiance, and living in right relationship to reality and helping others (and our species) do the same is my 'calling' and deepest inspiration.
In light of this stance, I must confess that I consider this little e-book by Sam Harris to be modern-day scripture (i.e., dependable guidance in the service of living in integrity -- that is, in right relationship to reality).
There are a number of excellent books on the subject of integrity and truth-telling, including those written by my friends and colleagues, Brad Blanton (Radical Honesty, The New Revised Edition: How to Transform Your Life by Telling the Truth and Practicing Radical Honesty, and Susan Campbell Getting Real: Ten Truth Skills You Need to Live an Authentic Life. I recommend each of these, but none quite covers the territory Sam does in this potent and inspiring little guide. I especially enjoyed his section on so-called "white lies", as well as the sections on Trust, Secrets, Faint Praise, and Mental Accounting.
To quote just one example of a sentiment all too seldom expressed in American culture today: "By lying, we deny others a view of the world as it is.
It's hard to judge the length of a kindle book, but this one is short enough to be considered a good chapter. It's Sam Harris, so it's well put, succinct, and a pleasure to ponder. He makes some excellent points about the effects, costs, and alternatives to lying - even small lies - and I believe I may become an even more honest person because of it.
Lying, he says, is "almost by definition a refusal to cooperate with others. It condenses a lack of trust and trustworthiness into a single act. ... To lie is to recoil from relationship." This is a brilliant observation, and it's almost seems like common sense. Harris goes on to make a case for vigilant truth-telling, quite well.
It is a strong argument, but it's not airtight. State secrets present an exception, he points out; espionage sometimes requires a complex set of lies. But spies, Harris says, operate under the ethics of war and therefore the "ethics of emergency," and are therefore not only exempt from the golden rule of truth-telling, they are irrelevant exceptions. "We can draw no more daily instruction from the lives of spies than we can from the adventures of astronauts in space. Just as most of us need not worry about our bone density in the absence of gravity, we need not consider whether our every utterance could compromise national security." This begs a question. Without a limiting definition of "emergency," emergency ethics *are certainly relevant to daily life. There is a spectrum of emergencies. I've had emergencies. If on one end lying is ok, the other end not -- doesn't that suggest a spectrum of wrongness to lying, as well?
As I read through it, interesting questions arose for me which unfortunately were not addressed.
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