TB: Don't Lie — Evil is Only Possible Through Lies
Definition
Not lying is the foundation of morality. Evil — at the individual and societal scale — requires deception to persist. Lies allow bad behavior to continue by hiding its nature from others and, eventually, from the person doing it. The commitment to honesty is not merely a social nicety; it is the structural prerequisite for a functional self and a functional society.
Why it matters
Jordan Peterson's formulation: lies corrupt the individual who tells them first. Every lie requires a subsequent lie to maintain the first, and eventually the person can no longer distinguish between their stated beliefs and their actual beliefs. At the societal level, institutions function only as long as people can trust the signals they receive. Widespread deception collapses coordination. Character building begins with refusing to lie, because honesty is the discipline that keeps your model of reality accurate.
Insights from the vault
- Not lying as the foundation of morality — before virtues, before courage or generosity, comes honesty. It is the ground on which every other moral practice stands.
- Character building as focal point — moral development is not primarily about acquiring virtues; it is about refusing vices. The first vice to eliminate is dishonesty.
See also
- Rationality — Moral Duty — being rational requires intellectual honesty as a prerequisite
- Be the Good — embodying values requires that your stated values and enacted values align