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Is omission the same as lying?

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posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 12:07 AM
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I just watched the Dilemma and I was thinking about something. Is the omission of an important fact or detail about something the same as lying? If you were telling someone something and you felt it was important for them to know would it be the same as lying? Since they don't know the full picture?

As far as politics goes-- is a government not telling the entire truth lying? When it tells people about facts and figures and other things that went into consideration and doesn't tell them that? When it doesn't tell its people what it's doing?

If the media tells the truth most of the time but doesn't tell other things is it still lying? Is an omission of something the same as lying or is it just keeping a secret?



posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 12:30 AM
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That's a pickle of a question..... I think there will be a lot of answers on this one for either side. To tell a lie is to be untruthful. Tell purposely leave out a detail to avoid the lie.....hmmmmm Is the omission strictly in keeping with the truth or is the person skirting the truth. An omission is kinda like going in a circle around the truth and I would say it falls close to if not under a moral dilemma. If you leave out a key detail that is important is it not a "little" white lie.

I would have to lean towards yes because you know your not giving the person the whole truth your giving them your version of the truth rather than the reality of that truth.



posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 12:37 AM
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By making or declaring a omission is kind of a legal loophole that allows for circumvention or backtracking a statement or action .Kind of a back door escape plan and yes this could include a lie or action .



posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 12:41 AM
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Wouldn't it depend on intent? On the individual level the omission would be for protection or harm. If the intent is harm then it would be a lie.

However in the case of a government, or rather a democratically elected government, I do not believe this holds true. For me there is an implicit agreement with our chosen officials to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Isn't this in some way implied in the oath of office. Maybe not.

That is a simple and quick answer.



posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 12:53 AM
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reply to post by TerryMcGuire
 


I'd say it depends on a lot of things, though omission of information when faced with a direct question in which you should have included certain information is a lie.



posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 12:59 AM
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It's called equivocation.

"How did you like the movie?"
"Wow, the sound track was outstanding!"
--
"Do you like my painting?"
"It's so creative!"
--
"What do you think of your former employee ____"
"You will be lucky to get this person to work for you."



posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 01:14 AM
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Originally posted by maskfan
reply to post by TerryMcGuire
 


I'd say it depends on a lot of things, though omission of information when faced with a direct question in which you should have included certain information is a lie.


Should have?

Maybe if you were being paid to answer a question, but if you are doing it for free you are under no obligation.



posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 06:30 AM
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It depends, but usually it is. If you omit information in order to deceive or misdirect then yes it is like lying because you are not being honest/truthful. If you genuinely forget to mention something that turns out to be important information because you were not thinking clearly at the time, then that is different. I guess it comes down to intent in this context.

As for when the media does it well that can be tricky to determine. They often have "surveys" included in stories that are unimportant or misleading at best and use it as "proof" to validate the story. This ranges from trivial issues to significant ones that affect the way people think and view events that take place around them.

As for the government well yes they often lie by admission. Foreign and Domestic policies, grants and programs, employment figures, crime figures, Government spending, Taxes etc.


edit on 3/4/2011 by Dark Ghost because: eta



posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 08:48 AM
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Another "it depends" answer here.


If it's something like "How do you like my dress"? to say "I love the fabric!" (if I hate the dress) is not lying, IMO. Because the information isn't really important. I would probably go on to say that the dress isn't my style, but the fabric is really nice.

On the other hand, if my husband asks me what I did today and I tell him that I went shopping, when really, I went shopping after having a torrid love session with the pool guy, Pedro, then the omission of that little tidbit is definitely a lie, IMO.

To me, it's all about honor and integrity.



posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 08:53 AM
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reply to post by Frankidealist35
 


Omitting facts and lying are both the same IMO. Both can be done to decieve. Both are dishonest so they fall under the same umberella



posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 08:55 AM
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Willfully omitting a piece of information is essentially an admission that said piece of information is of some value and must be kept secret for one reason or another. Without said piece of information you are not displaying the entire truth of whatever matter is being discussed and therefore altering any response to the information

Omission is lying. end of story.



posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 09:15 AM
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Originally posted by eNumbra
Willfully omitting a piece of information is essentially an admission that said piece of information is of some value and must be kept secret for one reason or another.


I disagree. If I ask for your full name and you don't give it to me, you are "keeping a secret". Are you lying to me? No.

There is a difference between privacy and keeping relevant information from someone else.

If we're watching TV and a hot scantily-clad woman comes on the screen and a less than noble thought runs through my husband's mind... if I ask him, "What's on your mind"? And he says, "nothing much... just watching TV"... Has he lied? I say no. That information is HIS to share or not. That's privacy. The fact that he has that thought about that woman on the screen is not relevant to our marriage or our relationship.. It's really none of my business. And it's his private thought.

That's just how I feel about it.



posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 03:11 PM
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reply to post by Frankidealist35
 


This is not a difficult or thorny question at all. Yes, it is lying.

Any time you try to convince someone to think that a particular thing is "true", and it is not, you are lying. It doesn't matter whether you do so by stating something false or through subtle emotional manipulation or through deliberate omission of relevant facts.

If you know that what you are saying is likely to give the other person a model of the world that does not match what you think to be true, you are a lying hypocritical ass.

Even worse is the kind of lying known as "spin". Then they don't even _care_ whether it's true or not -- truth is irrelevant and the only consideration is expediency.

Now, this doesn't mean one has to be open and public about everything -- privacy still has its place. But there's a big difference from "I'm not going to answer questions about that" and "I'm not going to bring up the fact that I'm a sex-offender when applying for my job as a teacher".

It's all about intent.
edit on 3-4-2011 by Stunspot because: typo



posted on Apr, 3 2011 @ 03:18 PM
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reply to post by Stunspot
 


I totally agree with you. It's all about intent. We have all lied about something from how babies are born to Santa Clause. If you leave out certain details to hurt then yes its a lie. If you leave out certain details to protect then no its not a lie. It is all about INTENT.







 
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