I'm curious, if you believe it's true, is it a lie?

Knight

Knight

Well-known Member
Something I haven't found an answer to.

If a person believes what they are saying is true but later finds out it isn't? Is it a lie?

Way back when the world was flat, and the belief was it is flat until it wasn't, were all those that believed it to be flat lying to others?
 

Knight said:
Something I haven't found an answer to.

If a person believes what they are saying is true but later finds out it isn't? Is it a lie?

Way back when the world was flat, and the belief was it is flat until it wasn't, were all those that believed it to be flat lying to others?
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They were telling the truth as best they knew but it was not true... so yeah, it was a lie but not intentionally. I figure a lot of what we think we know turns out to be wrong. Heck I thought Pluto was our ninth planet, turns out Pluto is just a goofy Disney character.
 

lie v.
to speak falsely or utter untruth knowingly, as with intent to deceive

lie n.
a false statement made with deliberate intent to deceive; an intentional untruth; a falsehood.
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I gather from both of the above definitions that a person who unknowing transmits false information is not intending to deceive, and is therefore not lying.

However, if they continue to transmit false information after having been shown that it is false, then they are lying to themselves and others.
 
Butterfly said:
Yes, if you believe it to be true, then it is not a "lie," even though it is not true, either. I believe for something to be a "lie" you have to intend to deceive.
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A little humor: Remember the Seinfeld show where George advised Jerry how to get away with a lie and he said something to the affect that to get away with it (because Jerry felt he was a terrible liar and George was a great liar) you have to convince yourself because "If you believe it to be true then it is not a lie."

I get intent and what that has to do concerning someone's character. But in the concept of whether information is true or false then it would be false and whoever said it was giving out false information, though not intentionally. Never the less, in hindsight when we gave out false information what were we doing? If giving out correct information is being truthful then what is giving out untruthful information? Using the old saying "There are lies and then their are damn lies." for a moment; misinformed people tell lies while liars tell damn lies.
 

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