So why am I such a Kant?
6 Oct
The philosopher Immanuel Kant said that lying was always morally wrong.
I’m attempting to go a whole year without telling a single lie. But much more than that I’m looking for some kind of truth to keep me going for the next 40 years or so, and to pass on to my kids. Karl Marx thought philosophy was rubbish because it doesn’t change anything. I disagree. I think it may well be able to give me the direction I so desperately need.
Well, that’s the plan anyway. As is to turn my journey into a (published) book.
You can read the first chapter here
Found this via the Guardian. I’ll be following your writing with interest and a strong sense of self-condemnation.
You will have to shun certain activities for a year: not working as a lawyer nor as a salesman, no job-interviews, no affairs. Good luck
But Kant did not know non cooperative and selfish behavior. His categorical imperative (Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law.) works only if everyone do the same. If you always tell the truth, you will always be the loser against a liar. In my opinion, you have to brace for a lot of failures this year.
And, by the way, could you tell me your credit card number?
Your only easy way out is to stop talking.
Good luck.
thierry from france
(I found your website adress in “philosophie magazine”, a french magazine)
Very interesting.
Just a few questions – will you apply this only to the things that you say or will it also apply to the things you write? What will happen when you are confronted with a situation where a lie would serve to protect someone else from negative side effects? The example that springs to mind is the typical ‘does my bum look big in this?’ dilemma. What will you say to your kids if the (truthful) answer to one of their questions hurts their feelings, damages their innocence or destroys a joyous illusion (e.g. Father Christmas)?
You could of course keep schtum maybe? Well some will argue that not saying the truth is synonymous with lying. What are your thoughts on this?
The grand assumption of course is that you will know what the underlying truth actually is of everything that you want to say. If you realise that an interpretation of what you are about to say is open to ambiguity will you still say it? The world isn’t black and white; – there are very many shades of grey. One man’s lie is another man’s truth and all that.
Good luck.
BTW: I came across your website in the Swansea University Alumni magazine.
This sounds like a fantastic experiment. As thierry and Rob rightly pointed out the problem lies (no pun intended) with the expectation of lies which are accepted as being a normative part of our social interactions. I strongly believe the saying “Let your Yes be Yes and your No be No”. In other words be honest. But it is so against the norm that it is seemingly impossible to live by that standard.
It is easier in a small group or in one to one relationships to foster an atmosphere where the truth is expected even if it hurts. My friends and close colleagues tend to value that. But with associates and friends whose relationship is conditional, telling the truth can cause enormous rifts. And strangers look at you as if you have two heads when you don’t play the game. This is something I have been trying to do myself. When someone says “Oooh its a terrible day isn’t it. It’s too cold” I try to reply “Actually I like sunny days in winter no matter how cold it is”. The conversation rarely goes beyond that.
Ideas do change the world. And telling the truth is a great idea. Of course there are morally grey areas. Would anyone tell the truth if they would put a loved one at risk? But then silence is perhaps the best option. I could never condemn someone whose motives were pure in lieing, but lets rid the world of the lies which serve only to make things easier for us or to serve our own self-interest. Landslides can start with a small stone.