Like plenty of other people, I've given this a lot of thought over the years. Why do we lie? Do we need to lie? Is it always a bad thing after all? and just like others, I assume, the answer is never super clear.
The field of evolutionary psychology is one that really fascinates me. Why? Because it really explores the reasons why we act the way that we do, and it offers a framework for potentially understanding what otherwise would be irrational behaviors.
When it comes lying however, it is a little easier to understand. Yes, I'm not saying that lying is a "good thing" per say, but that it's a tool, and we use it often, as much as we've learnt to demonize the action. There is of course degrees of lying, and some of them we find bening, like telling your loved one they've not gained a single pound since the wedding, but other times, the tool can morph our mental landscape profoundly.
There's a comedy, one that came out some years ago that explores a potential world where lying did not exist, and it does an superb job at showing us how we actually need it. I strongly recommend it, more so if you think I'm making excuses for being a bad person.
Which is the final point I'm trying to make. Do bad people lie too much? Is that the problem? Well, maybe, but it's not a necessity nor does correlation imply causation, but it's interesting to note that all of us agree that someone who lies too much is evil, when there are disorders like mythomania out there.
We may hate it, but it seems like we can't have a society without...
MenO
