Although a certain amount of deceit will always play a part
in human affairs, a basic intent to be truthful, along with an
assumption that most people can be taken at their word, is
required for any decent society. No civilization can tolerate
a constant expectation of dishonest communication without
falling apart from a breakdown in trust. Yet, in our time, the
fundamental commitment to truthfulness required for social
trust has weakened. This essay provides examples from re
cent educational and political discourse and calls on both the
leadership and the public to stop our downhill cycle of deceit
by adhering more rigorously to the truth, even when this may
seem painful or difficult.
FOR NUMEROUS REASONS—SOME JUSTIFIABLE—
people do not always stick to the truth when they speak.
Among the more justifiable reasons as to why people are
less than honest are tact and other humane concerns.
Reassuring an ungainly teenager that he or she looks great
can be a sensitive and responsible embroidery of the
truth; in a far more consequential instance, misinforming
storm troopers about the whereabouts of a hidden Jewish
family during the fascist occupation of Europe was an
honorable and courageous deception. Honesty is not a
wholly detached moral virtue demanding strict allegiance
at all times. Compassion, diplomacy, and life-threatening
circumstances sometimes require a departure from the
unadulterated truth. What’s more, people are far from
perfect. Even those who strive for a life of personal integrity
may be tempted to distort the truth on occasion to cover
up or explain away an embarrassing mistake.
Read more here.