Books › Lying
Lying
Moral Choice in Public and Private Life
First published 1978 · 368 pages
A rigorous and contemplative deep-dive into the ethical weight of the falsehoods we tell ourselves and others.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like engaging in a rigorous intellectual exercise within a quiet, contemplative space. The pace is steady and methodical, asking the reader to pause and reflect on the everyday moral choices that shape both public and private life. It cultivates a serious, probing mood, stripping away easy answers to examine the heavy consequences of deception and the burden of guilt. The prose is analytical and precise, carefully dissecting the justifications we use for falsehoods in various spheres, including professional practices like law. It is a deeply thoughtful experience, perfect for the reader who delights in philosophical inquiry and wants to critically examine the ethical foundations of human interaction and the true cost of a lie.
- Mood
- contemplative
- serious
- reflective
- Tone
- analytical
- earnest
- probing
- thoughtful
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- ethics of deception · moral justification · public versus private morality · the weight of guilt · professional ethics
- The writing
- Clear, methodical, and academically grounded, designed to dissect complex moral dilemmas with precision.
- The arc
- Moves from a foundational questioning of everyday falsehoods to a sobering understanding of the consequences of deception.
- Who it's for
- Readers who enjoy deep philosophical inquiries into everyday ethics and the moral frameworks of society and law.
Content notes
- discussions of guilt
- moral dilemmas
About the book
Examines the moral questions of lying, whether it is ever justifiable and the consequences of such lies both in public and private life.
Description from Open Library.
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