Lies of Omission

The Art of Lying

Just for the record....i am not crazy...

The Lie of Omission:

A lie of omission is to remain silent when ethical behavior calls for one to speak up. A lie of omission is a method of deception and duplicity that uses the technique of simply remaining silent when speaking the truth would significantly alter the other person's capacity to make an informed decision.

To lie by omission is to remain silent and thereby withhold from someone else a vital piece (or pieces) of information. The silence is deceptive in that it gives a false impression to the person from whom the information was withheld. It subverts the truth; it is a way to manipulate someone into altering their behavior to suit the desire of the person who intentionally withheld the vital information; and, most importantly, it's a gross violation of another person's right of self-determination. Here's an example.

Have you ever heard the word, "spin doctor?" This is the job title for the political campaign people who intentionally speak only a part of the truth with the goal of deceiving their listeners and getting the listener to supporting the spin doctor's candidate.

The following two links will take you to quotes below on this page relating to lies of omission:

Mark Twain From his essay: "On the Decay of the Art of Lying"

An Example Taken From An Interview with the Devil.®

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The Biggest Lie About Lies -- A Lie of Omission Is Not a Lie!

A lie of omission is the most insidious, most pervasive, and most common lie on the entire planet. Commonly, those who use this type of lie, have conned themselves into believing that to intentionally remain silent when ethical behavior calls for one to speak up is not a lie at all. In spite of overwhelming evidence that their silence deceives, misleads, and often causes untold grief and misery, they refuse to speak the truth.

The Inevitable Consequences: There is also the common misconception that intentional deception by silence has no consequences. Lies of commission (telling a lie) and lies of omission (withholding the truth) are both acts of intention deception. Both reap the same consequences. What liars by omission do not understand is that one cannot escape the laws of the universe.'