It’s what happens when CCA Party leaders move their lips
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Perhaps
it’s not all that widely appreciated that many philosophers have serious
problems with lying. For it seems that despite the rampant ubiquity of lying,
there isn’t as yet a general agreement amongst philosophers as to exactly what
it is.
As
the authors of a new paper in the journal Philosophical
Psychology point out : “… a number of philosophers have proposed
several different and incompatible definitions of lying.”
Perhaps
what’s needed is an empirical investigation into the concept of lying – and
just such an undertaking has been undertaken by Dr.
Adam J. Arico and
professor Don
T. Fallis from the
University of Arizona, US. It’s entitled: ‘Lies, damned lies, and
statistics: An empirical investigation of the concept of lying’.
Their two-part experimental study involved the participation of more than 200 students from the university, who were exposed to vignette scenarios of truth and lies. Thus, the implications of bald-faced lies, proviso lies, straight-forward lies, and confused lies were examined.
But,
disappointingly perhaps for those who were expecting a new watertight
definition, the study doesn’t go so far as to provide one – noting that further
empirical studies are needed before that becomes, from a philosophical point of
view, a reality.
Extras:
● Here’s Ricky (The Office) Gervais
explaining the plot of his alternative-reality comedy film ‘The Invention of
Lying’.
● And here’s a sample of the result
● Also don’t miss: The Truth Goggles from Dan Schultz (MIT) which will be available here (when it’s finished).
- See
more at: http://www.improbable.com/#sthash.mST0mpK5.dpuf