Definition of Lie in Ericsson’s “The Ways We Lie” Essay

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Introduction

Erikson’s essay provides the author’s definition of lying. There are several types of lies, such as white lies, denial, omission, and others. A lie can be defined as any story told with harmful intentions to lead the listener to false conclusions and for personal gain. In this essay, I will analyze my lodge and respond to Erickson’s essay.

The Definition of Lie

A lie is deliberately said to lead a person to false conclusions or gain an advantage. If the person being lied to does not benefit from the story, it is a lie. However, as Erikson (1992) writes, “Deciding what is best for someone else is an act of sophisticated arrogance” (p. 2). Therefore, it can be difficult to determine whether the person being lied to benefits or not.

Like any other person, I can lie. Most of the time, I do it only to avoid offending others. For example, when I am in a bad mood and see that my parents are too tired at work, I tell them I am fine. I believe that this type of lying is not harmful and benefits those around me. Of course, any lie should not be abused, so it is very important to watch out for it. In her essay, Erickson did not cover such a type of lie as bluffing. This lie is used to gain one’s advantage and mislead the other person.

Conclusion

To conclude, the definition of a lie provided in this paper is any story told with hostile intentions to lead the person to false conclusions or gain personal benefit. This definition can be debated by Ericsson’s argument about a white lie and therefore requires further thinking and research. The essay by Ericsson can serve as the first source for correctly defining a lie that we all do.

Reference

Ericsson, S. (2004). The ways we lie. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology.

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