How would the world be different if none of us could lie?
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MilkyWay (
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May 29th, 2011
I was pondering this and wanted to know your views and opinions.
If none of us could lie, even for good, how would this world be different?
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33 Answers
I would be 5’ 8” tall, slender and fit, even after two babies. My breasts would be firm and perfect, my hair would be super long yet very easy to manage, and I would have the most pleasing temperament and get along well with everyone.
Wait… you said “COULDN’T” lie? Nevermind.
Ok, seriously though… I think it would change a LOT, I honestly do. People lie every day, whether they tell white lies or huge whoppers. I think we might be better off, in a way, because our government would have to tell us the truth about everything.
There would be no politicians then. :)
There’d be a lot more murders. Imagine if people had absolutely no filter and said anything they thought or felt regarding someone else, especially in certain emotional states. We’re just animals. How much “honesty” are many people able to take? Very little before they get seriously pissed off.
You’d have to really train kids not to take things personally, and most of us adults have a hard enough time understanding that concept, much less remembering that when other people talk, it’s through the filter of their own perceptions, and doesn’t even necessarily make what they’re saying “the truth”.
I think society would probably suck.
@aprilsimnel BUT, on the other hand, if no one can lie, all the murderers would be confessing to police and wouldn’t be able to perjure themselves in court. Think about how many douchebags would be off the streets! Murderers, rapists, pedophiles, etc… all in jail because they wouldn’t be able to lie, and neither would their lawyers.
If the honesty were delivered with tact and decorum, it would be great. Also, if the receiver of the truth took it from a position of logic, that would be even sweeter. Conversation would go something like:
John Q: “Do I sing well? Could I go on American Idol, you think?”
Mary Jane: “No, John, your voice has no range and it cracks at the high notes. Maybe if you had voice lessons you could improve” “What do you think Billy Bob?”
Billy Bob: “Voice lesson might improve but not enough to win. You might think about being back up for a better singer”
John Q: “Thanks guys, I guess if I can’t sing well enough I won’t waste my time.
Instead of:
John Q: “I do sing well? Could I go on American Idol, you think?”
Mary Jane: “Um…sure if you like John. You might can do it if you work on your range. Maybe if you take a few voice lessons before you do it just to polish your voice” “What do you think Billy Bob?”
Billy Bob: “Voice lesson? American Idol is in 3 weeks not 3 years! You best think about being back up for a better singer, all that voice of your is going to do is drive dogs away”
The latter conversation will just make him mad because he will think someone is insulting his good singing because he is led to believe he sing better than he does but don’t want to hear the truth
Civilization as we know it would cease to exist. Because so much of everything is built around and or on BS. And I’m not yanking you leg.
We would be just fine. Man is a creature of adaptation and conditioning, so we would base our society on being truthful. However, considering our nature, we would probably create something equivalent and just as sneaky and nasty as lying.
Also, we always take our Western society as the model for everything as if it were the norm for every society in the world. I am sure than some tribe or people somewhere lie a lot less than we do.
We would have missed Jim Carrey in Liar Liar.
A lot of preachers would be without jobs along with the politicians and car salesmen mentioned above.
The thing is about preachers, they would probably say a lot of the same stuff. If you believe you’re telling the truth, then you’d still say the same things. However, when children ask them questions about certain things, they will have to respond with the truth, instead of sidestepping the question.
Ex: Why could Moses move the sea?
God gave him the power to do it.
Why doesn’t God do that today?
I don’t know little Timmy.
Ha! One happy change would be the brevity of political speeches.
Like one long interminable episode of The Brady Bunch, some good would come of it, but oh what a price to pay :¬(
As long as you still had the power to withhold the truth (sin of omission?) when it’s prudent to do so, I think it would be fabulous. If you couldn’t keep things to yourself, but were only able to voice the truth in a loving and kind way, I still think it would be fabulous. However, if, as @aprilsimnel indicates, there were no filters whatsoever, it would be a bad scene. It’s only when the truth is used in a hurtful manner that it is, well, hurtful. So where on this scale is this hypothetical world?
TL;DR: It depends.
I get what all of you mean. This situation will allow you to withhold the truth, just not lie. You’ll still be in control of every other aspects of your own speech.
In that case, I think it would be better than what we have now. We would have to teach people to use tact early on in life, that’s for sure. We’d hear from the politicians less (because they’d be keeping some things to themselves rather than trying to spin it to their advantage). We might have a truer understanding of each other, too. We’d probably make it a law that if a police officer or judge asks you a question, you must answer in some way (to circumvent the withholding of the truth). Hm. Maybe not. I guess the fifth amendment already allows us to withhold the truth in a criminal investigation.
Wow. I think the fields of politics, finance and advertising would suffer the most. On a personal level, I think a lot of friendships and other relationships would suffer. Little lies and obfuscations are almost required to get along. Is silence allowed instead of an answer? You need a way to avoid saying things that might hurt someone’s feelings if you wish to.
Everyone would know that I’m way more a Gabrielle than a Callisto.
That, and I assume that war as we know it today would be nothing compared to what it would be if people couldn’t lie. I’m not even sure mankind would even be alive today. And if I’m wrong about the amplified fellowman skull grinding, everyone would probably just commit suicide.
Marijuana wouldn’t be illegal. I’m trying to think of others but I can’t.
There would be no politicians.
There would be no spam! And especially no parade of long lost relatives who died mysteriously in Nigeria leaving you to inherit their vast fortunes.,,
There will be a lot more hurt feelings everywhere, or, people will just stop talking.
Organization would have gone to shit because nothing would ever have been accomplished politically. Not to mention how cynical people would be! Imagine, you’re a child again, and from day one, no Santa Claus, no Easter Bunny. None of the wonderful western lies that make life wonderful through the eyes of a child….
@ddude1116 Good point there.
Thanks to everyone who answered! :D
In some ways, communication would be easier. There would be no more polite lies like, “I’ll call you” or “Let’s get together sometime.” You would immediately know where you stood with others. The flip side of this situation is that there would be more hurt feelings until people learned to develop a thicker skin for criticism and to express their honesty in a tactful manner.
Two things popped in my mind:
1. We will always have to face people with the truth when we are seen or caught doing things supposed to (cheating in a relationship, bad mouthing a friend, stealing, etc.). That would be stressful.
2. We will avoid doing anything that will require us to conceal it – discipline.
But not telling lies doesn’t guarantee the world will become a better place.
@nikkiduq Nothing is a 100% of anything. But if our politicians could not lie to us, they would actually do the things they said they were going to do and it would result in good actions instead of their usual BS to be elected.
@Porifera that’s one possibility… but my answer doesn’t limit to political lies. my answer is for lies, in general.
@nikkiduq I know, I understood what you meant on your first entry. I was just giving one instance in which not lying would result in the world becoming a better place.
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