Truth & Deception

Describe a specific example from any area of knowledge (AOK) where you feel that deception may be necessary to knowing. The example may or may not relate to your direct personal experience but make your views as a knower clear; it may be the case that person(s) involved in the example you relate have a different perspective on truth and deception than you do.

I believe that deception may be necessary to knowing while learning about ethics, one of the six areas of knowledge. Last year, I had an experience with someone who claimed to be a friend. A series of deceptions by this individual led to my discovery that she was not indeed a true friend.

While we were friends, we talked and texted often. We also socialized outside of school. My empirical understanding of the truth was that she was a good friend. She began to tell me that I was annoying and that I talked about myself too much. She told me that other people also found me annoying. She eventually told me to never talk to her again through texts and phone calls. However, on several occasions, she would call me and ask for one of my other friend's numbers.

In hindsight, I believe that she lied primarily for self-serving reasons. These reasons were probably for personal advantage. She wanted to make herself to appear "more desirable than [she] really believed [herself] to be..." to her peers. My perception now is that she wanted to gain attention and believed that drama would give her the attention that she craved. A study by DePaulo and her colleagues describes that serious lies are often told to cover personal facts. DePaulo also found that many of these lies were distressing for the liars to tell and saddening, infuriating, and humiliating for the targets to discover.

In a short time, my trust was eroded, and the relationship was destroyed. Deception was necessary to learn of her true character. It also was necessary for me to develop greater knowledge of what a true friend will do. It gave understanding that the people I surround myself with should hold themselves to the same ethical standards. I understand that she may have a different persepective on truth and deception than I. The deception was important because it made me understand that if this one person's serious lies could hurt me so much, I could also hurt others if I told them lies of this same nature.