Failure to realize a statement could be a white lie can create some terribly awkward situations.
While this is true, it is also true that knowing that a given person won’t lie, that they will tell you how bad the acting in your play is, makes their praise even more valuable; because one knows that it is not a white lie.
By allowing yourself the small lies, that is what you are trading away. Whether it’s worth it or not, I can’t say for sure...
In theory, committing to not lying has some advantages, but in my experience, it doesn’t actually work. In my experience, people who commit to not lying are less accurate and less trusted than those who don’t. And I’m pretty sure the causality flows from the commitment and not from a third factor.
Failure to keep the commitment is not the problem in my experience. A person who deceives by technical truths usually gets a reputation as a pathological liar; a well-deserved reputation, I would say. Self-deception is a much bigger problem for accuracy. But that hardly scratches the surface of the problems.
You have a theory. Theories are great! But test it. Pay attention to people’s reputations for honesty, accuracy, and trustworthiness.
This will be difficult. In my limited experience, very few if any people are intentionally dishonest with me. (I may simply be very lucky in that respect). This puts me in a fairly poor position to gauge other people’s reputations for honesty.
Accuracy is another matter entirely. Accuracy is a function of intelligence and of the ability to accurately observe the environment. I can easily see accuracy being entirely independent of any commitment against lying.
While this is true, it is also true that knowing that a given person won’t lie, that they will tell you how bad the acting in your play is, makes their praise even more valuable; because one knows that it is not a white lie.
By allowing yourself the small lies, that is what you are trading away. Whether it’s worth it or not, I can’t say for sure...
In theory, committing to not lying has some advantages, but in my experience, it doesn’t actually work. In my experience, people who commit to not lying are less accurate and less trusted than those who don’t. And I’m pretty sure the causality flows from the commitment and not from a third factor.
This runs contrary to what I would expect.
Could it be that people who commit to not lying:
Do not follow up on their commitment
Proceed to twist their words so as to be dishonest without technically lying
Or is there some other reason for this?
Failure to keep the commitment is not the problem in my experience. A person who deceives by technical truths usually gets a reputation as a pathological liar; a well-deserved reputation, I would say. Self-deception is a much bigger problem for accuracy. But that hardly scratches the surface of the problems.
You have a theory. Theories are great! But test it. Pay attention to people’s reputations for honesty, accuracy, and trustworthiness.
This will be difficult. In my limited experience, very few if any people are intentionally dishonest with me. (I may simply be very lucky in that respect). This puts me in a fairly poor position to gauge other people’s reputations for honesty.
Accuracy is another matter entirely. Accuracy is a function of intelligence and of the ability to accurately observe the environment. I can easily see accuracy being entirely independent of any commitment against lying.