> Never lie to anyone for any reason.
This always makes me think of:
“Are there Jews hiding nearby?” “Why yes, I’ve been hiding them for a long time, but nobody had thought to ask. I’m sorry to give them up but I cannot lie.”
Barlow's Principles of Adult Behaviour
21–30 of 53 posts
Re: Barlow's Principles of Adult Behaviour
#22I wonder about the "never lie" bit. Any kind of negotiation comes to mind, where it might be best to not show your hand completely. You might be negotiating for your family, for your business, for your country even. Is it ok to accept a worse result in the name of honesty as a principle? Sure the world might be a better place if everyone told the truth always. But this is advice for this world, not a hypothetical one…
I wouldn't worry about taking every single one of these literally. A rule like this is meant as a compass bearing, not a precise set of directions to a perfect life.
Besides, it's totally possible to negotiate in good faith without lying. Professional negotiators actively advise against lying because A) you might get caught B) it's harder to remember a lie than the truth later on. (This is how a lot of criminals get caught.) If someone wants to know something you don't want them to know, you don't have to answer. Tell them it's not relevant or change the topic.
Re: Barlow's Principles of Adult Behaviour
#23I wonder about the "never lie" bit. Any kind of negotiation comes to mind, where it might be best to not show your hand completely. You might be negotiating for your family, for your business, for your country even. Is it ok to accept a worse result in the name of honesty as a principle? Sure the world might be a better place if everyone told the truth always. But this is advice for this world, not a hypothetical one…
One is always selecting from a subset of the available information is any conversation.
Maybe the point could be elaborated "never mislead".
As a parent, while I don't want my children to grow up in a shoebox, I also don't want them awash in the hedonistic filth of our day, either.
So I tell them "form follows function" and express the importance of actual marriage, not the modern variations.
Re: Barlow's Principles of Adult Behaviour
#24I wonder about the "never lie" bit. Any kind of negotiation comes to mind, where it might be best to not show your hand completely. You might be negotiating for your family, for your business, for your country even. Is it ok to accept a worse result in the name of honesty as a principle? Sure the world might be a better place if everyone told the truth always. But this is advice for this world, not a hypothetical one…
I've seen a version that adds "lies of omission are sometimes exempt":
Re: Barlow's Principles of Adult Behaviour
#25I wonder about the "never lie" bit. Any kind of negotiation comes to mind, where it might be best to not show your hand completely. You might be negotiating for your family, for your business, for your country even. Is it ok to accept a worse result in the name of honesty as a principle? Sure the world might be a better place if everyone told the truth always. But this is advice for this world, not a hypothetical one…
Given the context of the list I suspect they don’t mean any of them quite as strictly as you’re taking it. Of course there are situations where lying is actually is morally correct. However I do think that many situations where one is tempted to lie simply omitting information is equally effective, or even more so as you don’t have to worry about being caught in the lie.
Re: Barlow's Principles of Adult Behaviour
#26The Hug of Death strikes again!
Here's an archive link:
https://web.archive.org/web/20110209100703/https://www.mail-...
Re: Barlow's Principles of Adult Behaviour
#27> Never lie to anyone for any reason. This always makes me think of: “Are there Jews hiding nearby?” “Why yes, I’ve been hiding them for a long time, but nobody had thought to ask. I’m sorry to give them up but I cannot lie.”
you don’t have to answer them. You can just not say anything. A thing you should have done instead of shit posting.
Re: Barlow's Principles of Adult Behaviour
#28> 15. Avoid the pursuit of happiness. Seek to define your mission and pursue that Well put. Happiness is a byproduct not a goal. Lack of happiness can be a signal to change things up.
Isn’t that pursuing happiness? Your saying if you’re not happy than change your goals to something with happiness as a by product. Or, pursue happiness.
Re: Barlow's Principles of Adult Behaviour
#29I wonder about the "never lie" bit. Any kind of negotiation comes to mind, where it might be best to not show your hand completely. You might be negotiating for your family, for your business, for your country even. Is it ok to accept a worse result in the name of honesty as a principle? Sure the world might be a better place if everyone told the truth always. But this is advice for this world, not a hypothetical one…
I wouldn't worry about taking every single one of these literally. A rule like this is meant as a compass bearing, not a precise set of directions to a perfect life. Besides, it's totally possible to negotiate in good faith without lying. Professional negotiators actively advise against lying because A) you might get caught B) it's harder to remember a lie than the truth later on. (This is how a lot of criminals get…
I feel that "don't lie, just omit the truth" totally misses the point. It's "rules lawyering", not being an adult as the author seems to envision it. At least that's my reading.
Re: Barlow's Principles of Adult Behaviour
#30I wonder about the "never lie" bit. Any kind of negotiation comes to mind, where it might be best to not show your hand completely. You might be negotiating for your family, for your business, for your country even. Is it ok to accept a worse result in the name of honesty as a principle? Sure the world might be a better place if everyone told the truth always. But this is advice for this world, not a hypothetical one…
Negotiations are made because each party is trying to gain as much as possible while losing as little as possible. In order for that to happen each side lies about their standing, their offer, their range, and uses a bunch of dishonest and manipulative tactics to reach an agreement.
If all parties were honest then a negotiation wouldn’t need to take place.