Lying and Deception

Thomas Carson offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date investigation of moral and conceptual questions about lying and deception. Part I addresses conceptual questions and offers definitions of lying, deception, and related concepts such as withholding information, "keeping someone in the dark," and "half truths." Part II deals with questions in ethical theory. Carson argues that standard debates about lying and deception between act-utilitarians and theircritics are inconclusive because they rest on appeals to disputed moral intuitions. He defends a version of the golden rule and a theory of moral reasoning. His theory implies that there is a moralpresumption against lying and deception that causes harm -- a presumption at least as strong as that endorsed by act-utilitarianism. He uses this theory to justify his claims about the issues he addresses in Part III: deception and withholding information in sales, deception in advertising, bluffing in negotiations, the duties of professionals to inform clients, lying and deception by leaders as a pretext for fighting wars (with special attention to the case of Bush and Cheney), and lying anddeception about history (with special attention to the Holocaust), and cases of distorting the historical record by telling half-truths. The book concludes with a qualified defence of the view thathonesty is a virtue.

“The book is well organized and carefully and subtly argued. Carson is grounded in both philosophical scholarship and intellectual history. The book moves from theory to application and opens areas of applied ethics not often discussed... the book is also rich with stories and examples and in some places it soars as with the discussion of the Iraq war. Lying and Deception deserves to be widely read as Carson has threaded years of scholarship on this topic into a rich andcoherent account. Two thumbs up!”

"I think that Carson'sanalysis comes very close to capturing thenormative element of lying ... Carson has produced an excellent workthat combines conceptual analysis, moral theory, and applied philosophy.Anyone interested in lying and deception from any of thesephilosophical perspectives should read this book. Moreover, Carson isright to emphasize the conceptual and moral importance of warranting thetruth of what you do not believe." - Don Fallis, Mind"Thebook is well organized and carefully and subtly argued. Carson isgrounded in both philosophical scholarship and intellectual history.The book moves from theory to application and opens areas of appliedethics not often discussed... the book is also rich with storiesand examples and in some places it soars as with the discussion of theIraq war. Lying and Deception deserves to be widely read asCarson has threaded years of scholarship on this topic into a rich andcoherent account. Two thumbs up!" - Norman Bowie, Business Ethics Quarterly"Icannot here do justice to Carson's defense of the Golden Rule... nor tohis application of his definitions and moral arguments to the range ofissues considered in the final chapters... This book is importantinsofar as it is a lengthy treatment of a topic that is too oftenrelegated to parts of books or articles. Thankfully, this situation ischanging, and Carson has done much to bring about this change." - James Mahon, Notre Dame PhilosophicalReviews"Carson makes the strong case that honesty in thenegative sense is a virtue in ordinary circumstances, while in thepositive sense it often is not... Anyone with a philosophical interestin the concept of lying will find Carson's book rewarding, and it isnecessary reading for those interested in the subtle distinctionsbetween lying and its related terms." - Eleni Kaklamanou, Journal of Applied Philosophy

Thomas L. Carson is Professor of Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago. He is the author of two books, Value and the Good Life (University of Notre Dame Press) and The Status of Morality (D.Reidel), and is the co-editor of Morality and the Good Life (OUP) and Moral Relativism (OUP).

Thomas Carson offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date investigation of moral and conceptual questions about lying and deception. Part I addresses conceptual questions and offers definitions of lying, deception, and related concepts such as withholding information, "keeping someone in the dark," and "half truths." Part II deals with questions in ethical theory. Carson argues that standard debates about lying and deception between act-utilitarians and their critics are inconclusive because they rest on appeals to disputed moral intuitions. He defends a version of the golden rule and a theory of moral reasoning. His theory implies that there is a moral presumption against lying and deception that causes harm -- a presumption at least as strong as that endorsed by act-utilitarianism. He uses this theory to justify his claims about the issues he addresses in Part III: deception and withholding information in sales, deception in advertising, bluffing in negotiations, the duties of professionals to inform clients, lying and deception by leaders as a pretext for fighting wars (with special attention to the case of Bush and Cheney), and lying and deception about history (with special attention to the Holocaust), and cases of distorting the historical record by telling half-truths. The book concludes with a qualified defence of the view that honesty is a virtue.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.