Thomas L. Carson
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199577415
- eISBN:
- 9780191722813
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577415.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, General
This book addresses questions in ethical theory and practical questions about lying, deception, and information disclosure in public affairs, business and professional ethics, and personal ...
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This book addresses questions in ethical theory and practical questions about lying, deception, and information disclosure in public affairs, business and professional ethics, and personal relationships. Part I is a conceptual map for the rest of the book. It proposes an analysis of the concepts of lying and deception and related concepts such as withholding information, “keeping someone in the dark,” and “half-truths.” Part II addresses questions in ethical theory. The book examines the implications of Kant's theory, act-utilitarianism, Ross's theory, and rule-consequentialism for moral questions about lying and deception. The book argues that Kant's absolutism about lying is untenable and that his moral theory doesn't commit him to being an absolutist. It also argues that the standard debates about lying and deception between act-utilitarians and their critics are inconclusive because they rest on appeals to disputed intuitions. The book defends a version of the golden rule and a theory of moral reasoning. The book's theory implies that there is a moral presumption against lying and deception that cause harm — a presumption that is at least as strong as that endorsed by act-utilitarianism. The book uses this theory to justify its claims about the issues it addresses in Part III: deception and withholding information in sales, deception in advertising, bluffing and deception in negotiations, the duty of professionals to inform their clients, lying and deception by leaders as a pretext for fighting wars (or avoiding wars), lying and deception about history (with special attention to the Holocaust), and cases of distorting the historical record by telling half truths. The book concludes with a qualified defense of the view that honesty is a virtue.Less
This book addresses questions in ethical theory and practical questions about lying, deception, and information disclosure in public affairs, business and professional ethics, and personal relationships. Part I is a conceptual map for the rest of the book. It proposes an analysis of the concepts of lying and deception and related concepts such as withholding information, “keeping someone in the dark,” and “half-truths.” Part II addresses questions in ethical theory. The book examines the implications of Kant's theory, act-utilitarianism, Ross's theory, and rule-consequentialism for moral questions about lying and deception. The book argues that Kant's absolutism about lying is untenable and that his moral theory doesn't commit him to being an absolutist. It also argues that the standard debates about lying and deception between act-utilitarians and their critics are inconclusive because they rest on appeals to disputed intuitions. The book defends a version of the golden rule and a theory of moral reasoning. The book's theory implies that there is a moral presumption against lying and deception that cause harm — a presumption that is at least as strong as that endorsed by act-utilitarianism. The book uses this theory to justify its claims about the issues it addresses in Part III: deception and withholding information in sales, deception in advertising, bluffing and deception in negotiations, the duty of professionals to inform their clients, lying and deception by leaders as a pretext for fighting wars (or avoiding wars), lying and deception about history (with special attention to the Holocaust), and cases of distorting the historical record by telling half truths. The book concludes with a qualified defense of the view that honesty is a virtue.
Mark Green, Phillip A. Griffiths, and Matt Kerr
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691154244
- eISBN:
- 9781400842735
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691154244.001.0001
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Analysis
Mumford-Tate groups are the fundamental symmetry groups of Hodge theory, a subject which rests at the center of contemporary complex algebraic geometry. This book is the first comprehensive ...
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Mumford-Tate groups are the fundamental symmetry groups of Hodge theory, a subject which rests at the center of contemporary complex algebraic geometry. This book is the first comprehensive exploration of Mumford-Tate groups and domains. Containing basic theory and a wealth of new views and results, it is an essential resource for graduate students and researchers. Although Mumford-Tate groups can be defined for general structures, their theory and use to date has mainly been in the classical case of abelian varieties. While the book does examine this area, it focuses on the nonclassical case. The general theory turns out to be very rich, such as in the unexpected connections of finite dimensional and infinite dimensional representation theory of real, semisimple Lie groups. The book gives the complete classification of Hodge representations, a topic that should become a standard in the finite-dimensional representation theory of noncompact, real, semisimple Lie groups. It also indicates that in the future, a connection seems ready to be made between Lie groups that admit discrete series representations and the study of automorphic cohomology on quotients of Mumford-Tate domains by arithmetic groups. Bringing together complex geometry, representation theory, and arithmetic, this book opens up a fresh perspective on an important subject.Less
Mumford-Tate groups are the fundamental symmetry groups of Hodge theory, a subject which rests at the center of contemporary complex algebraic geometry. This book is the first comprehensive exploration of Mumford-Tate groups and domains. Containing basic theory and a wealth of new views and results, it is an essential resource for graduate students and researchers. Although Mumford-Tate groups can be defined for general structures, their theory and use to date has mainly been in the classical case of abelian varieties. While the book does examine this area, it focuses on the nonclassical case. The general theory turns out to be very rich, such as in the unexpected connections of finite dimensional and infinite dimensional representation theory of real, semisimple Lie groups. The book gives the complete classification of Hodge representations, a topic that should become a standard in the finite-dimensional representation theory of noncompact, real, semisimple Lie groups. It also indicates that in the future, a connection seems ready to be made between Lie groups that admit discrete series representations and the study of automorphic cohomology on quotients of Mumford-Tate domains by arithmetic groups. Bringing together complex geometry, representation theory, and arithmetic, this book opens up a fresh perspective on an important subject.
Clancy Martin (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195327939
- eISBN:
- 9780199852444
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195327939.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This book gathers together new chapters on deception and self-deception by leading thinkers on the subject. The chapters discuss topics including the nature and the definition of deception; whether ...
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This book gathers together new chapters on deception and self-deception by leading thinkers on the subject. The chapters discuss topics including the nature and the definition of deception; whether deception is morally blameworthy or not; attacks against and defenses of self-deception; and the most famous philosophical account of lying by Immanuel Kant. Deception of others and self-deception share many more interconnections than is normally recognized, and these chapters reveal the benefits of considering them together.Less
This book gathers together new chapters on deception and self-deception by leading thinkers on the subject. The chapters discuss topics including the nature and the definition of deception; whether deception is morally blameworthy or not; attacks against and defenses of self-deception; and the most famous philosophical account of lying by Immanuel Kant. Deception of others and self-deception share many more interconnections than is normally recognized, and these chapters reveal the benefits of considering them together.
Robert C. Solomon
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195181579
- eISBN:
- 9780199786602
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195181573.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
Camus’ novel, The Stranger, can be read as a philosophically profound phenomenological study of personal experience, more or less devoid of reflection. The novel also presents the development of ...
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Camus’ novel, The Stranger, can be read as a philosophically profound phenomenological study of personal experience, more or less devoid of reflection. The novel also presents the development of reflective consciousness through the increasing awareness of the significance of other people. Camus himself has interpreted the hero of the book as a hero for the truth, but the point is made here that Meursault (the supposed hero) is not sufficiently reflective to either be concerned with the truth or to tell a lie.Less
Camus’ novel, The Stranger, can be read as a philosophically profound phenomenological study of personal experience, more or less devoid of reflection. The novel also presents the development of reflective consciousness through the increasing awareness of the significance of other people. Camus himself has interpreted the hero of the book as a hero for the truth, but the point is made here that Meursault (the supposed hero) is not sufficiently reflective to either be concerned with the truth or to tell a lie.
Jennifer Mather Saul
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780199603688
- eISBN:
- 9780191745454
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199603688.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Language, Moral Philosophy
Many people (both philosophers and not) find it very natural to think that deceiving someone in a way that avoids lying — by merely misleading — is morally preferable to simply lying. Others think ...
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Many people (both philosophers and not) find it very natural to think that deceiving someone in a way that avoids lying — by merely misleading — is morally preferable to simply lying. Others think this preference is deeply misguided. But all sides agree that there is a distinction. In this book, I undertake a close examination of the lying/misleading distinction. First, I use this very intuitive distinction to shed new light on entrenched debates in philosophy of language over notions like what is said. Next, I tackle the puzzling but widespread moral preference for misleading over lying, arriving at a new view regarding the moral significance of the distinction. Finally, I bring all this together in an examination of historically important and interesting cases, ranging from modern politicians to early JesuitsLess
Many people (both philosophers and not) find it very natural to think that deceiving someone in a way that avoids lying — by merely misleading — is morally preferable to simply lying. Others think this preference is deeply misguided. But all sides agree that there is a distinction. In this book, I undertake a close examination of the lying/misleading distinction. First, I use this very intuitive distinction to shed new light on entrenched debates in philosophy of language over notions like what is said. Next, I tackle the puzzling but widespread moral preference for misleading over lying, arriving at a new view regarding the moral significance of the distinction. Finally, I bring all this together in an examination of historically important and interesting cases, ranging from modern politicians to early Jesuits
Mike W. Martin
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780195304718
- eISBN:
- 9780199786572
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195304713.003.0013
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Ethicists have linked meaningful life and honesty with oneself. Similarly, therapists regard honesty with oneself as integral to healing, and they regard contact with reality as a criterion for ...
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Ethicists have linked meaningful life and honesty with oneself. Similarly, therapists regard honesty with oneself as integral to healing, and they regard contact with reality as a criterion for positive mental health. However, some psychologists have recently suggested that self-deception and unrealistic optimism might be good for us. This chapter argues that self-deception sometimes contributes to hope and love, and thereby to meaningful life and healthy functioning. It does so in a limited way, however, and not to the extent that justifies abandoning contact with reality as a criterion for mental health.Less
Ethicists have linked meaningful life and honesty with oneself. Similarly, therapists regard honesty with oneself as integral to healing, and they regard contact with reality as a criterion for positive mental health. However, some psychologists have recently suggested that self-deception and unrealistic optimism might be good for us. This chapter argues that self-deception sometimes contributes to hope and love, and thereby to meaningful life and healthy functioning. It does so in a limited way, however, and not to the extent that justifies abandoning contact with reality as a criterion for mental health.
Thomas L. Carson
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199577415
- eISBN:
- 9780191722813
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577415.003.0005
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, General
Act‐utilitarianism implies that lying is morally permissible when, and only when, there is no alternative course of action open to one that has better consequences than lying. Many critics contend ...
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Act‐utilitarianism implies that lying is morally permissible when, and only when, there is no alternative course of action open to one that has better consequences than lying. Many critics contend that utilitarianism is too permissive about the morality of lying. Mill attempts to answer this objection in Utilitarianism where he claims that lying always has indirect bad consequences (lying makes one less honest and undermines trust between people). Mill claims that, therefore, utilitarianism implies that there is a strong moral presumption against lying. The chapter defends Mill's argument and note two ways in which it can be extended and strengthened. First, there is another indirect bad consequence of lying that Mill does not mention – the difficulties that liars incur in trying to “keep their stories straight.” Second, in addition to the indirect bad consequences of lying (and deception), there are also direct bad consequences. We are (generally) harmed when we are deceived because we cannot effectively pursue our ends and interests if we act on the basis of false beliefs.Less
Act‐utilitarianism implies that lying is morally permissible when, and only when, there is no alternative course of action open to one that has better consequences than lying. Many critics contend that utilitarianism is too permissive about the morality of lying. Mill attempts to answer this objection in Utilitarianism where he claims that lying always has indirect bad consequences (lying makes one less honest and undermines trust between people). Mill claims that, therefore, utilitarianism implies that there is a strong moral presumption against lying. The chapter defends Mill's argument and note two ways in which it can be extended and strengthened. First, there is another indirect bad consequence of lying that Mill does not mention – the difficulties that liars incur in trying to “keep their stories straight.” Second, in addition to the indirect bad consequences of lying (and deception), there are also direct bad consequences. We are (generally) harmed when we are deceived because we cannot effectively pursue our ends and interests if we act on the basis of false beliefs.
Nicholas M. Katz
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153308
- eISBN:
- 9781400842704
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153308.003.0009
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Number Theory
This chapter takes up the proofs of Theorems 8.1 and 8.2. For each prime to p integer n, we have the n'th power homomorphism [n] : G → G. Formation of the direct image is an exact functor from Perv ...
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This chapter takes up the proofs of Theorems 8.1 and 8.2. For each prime to p integer n, we have the n'th power homomorphism [n] : G → G. Formation of the direct image is an exact functor from Perv to itself, which maps Neg to itself, in Ƿ to itself, and which (because a homomorphism) is compatible with middle convolution. So for a given object N in Garith, [n]* allows us to view 〈N〉arith as a Tannakian subcategory of 〈[n]*N〉arith, and 〈N〉geom as a Tannakian subcategory of 〈[n]*N〉geom.Less
This chapter takes up the proofs of Theorems 8.1 and 8.2. For each prime to p integer n, we have the n'th power homomorphism [n] : G → G. Formation of the direct image is an exact functor from Perv to itself, which maps Neg to itself, in Ƿ to itself, and which (because a homomorphism) is compatible with middle convolution. So for a given object N in Garith, [n]* allows us to view 〈N〉arith as a Tannakian subcategory of 〈[n]*N〉arith, and 〈N〉geom as a Tannakian subcategory of 〈[n]*N〉geom.
Stuart P. Green
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199225804
- eISBN:
- 9780191708411
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199225804.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Philosophy of Law, Employment Law
The picture of crime that dominates the popular imagination is one of unambiguous wrong-doing — manifestly harmful acts that are clearly worthy of condemnation. The accompanying picture of the ...
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The picture of crime that dominates the popular imagination is one of unambiguous wrong-doing — manifestly harmful acts that are clearly worthy of condemnation. The accompanying picture of the criminal — the thief, the murderer — is a picture of society's failures, to be cast out and re-integrated through a process of punishment and penance. Our understanding of white-collar crime, by contrast, is pervaded by moral and imaginative ambiguity. Such crimes are committed by society's success stories, by the rich and the powerful, and frequently have no visible victim at their root. The problem of marrying these disparate pictures has led to a confusion of the boundaries of white-collar crime. How is it possible to distinguish criminal fraud from mere lawful ‘puffing’, tax evasion from ‘tax avoidance’, insider trading from ‘savvy investing’, obstruction of justice from ‘zealous advocacy’, bribery from ‘log rolling’, and extortion from ‘hard bargaining’? How should we, as scholars and students, lawyers and judges, law enforcement officials and the general public, distinguish the lawful from the unlawful, the civil from the criminal? This study exposes the ambiguities and uncertainties that pervade the white-collar crimes, and offers an approach to their solution. Drawing on recent cases involving such figures as Martha Stewart, Bill Clinton, Tom DeLay, Scooter Libby, Jeffrey Archer, Enron's Kenneth Lay and Andrew Fastow, and the Arthur Anderson accounting firm, this book weaves together disparate threads of the criminal code to reveal a complex web of moral insights about the nature of guilt and innocence and what, fundamentally, constitutes conduct worthy of punishment by criminal sanction.Less
The picture of crime that dominates the popular imagination is one of unambiguous wrong-doing — manifestly harmful acts that are clearly worthy of condemnation. The accompanying picture of the criminal — the thief, the murderer — is a picture of society's failures, to be cast out and re-integrated through a process of punishment and penance. Our understanding of white-collar crime, by contrast, is pervaded by moral and imaginative ambiguity. Such crimes are committed by society's success stories, by the rich and the powerful, and frequently have no visible victim at their root. The problem of marrying these disparate pictures has led to a confusion of the boundaries of white-collar crime. How is it possible to distinguish criminal fraud from mere lawful ‘puffing’, tax evasion from ‘tax avoidance’, insider trading from ‘savvy investing’, obstruction of justice from ‘zealous advocacy’, bribery from ‘log rolling’, and extortion from ‘hard bargaining’? How should we, as scholars and students, lawyers and judges, law enforcement officials and the general public, distinguish the lawful from the unlawful, the civil from the criminal? This study exposes the ambiguities and uncertainties that pervade the white-collar crimes, and offers an approach to their solution. Drawing on recent cases involving such figures as Martha Stewart, Bill Clinton, Tom DeLay, Scooter Libby, Jeffrey Archer, Enron's Kenneth Lay and Andrew Fastow, and the Arthur Anderson accounting firm, this book weaves together disparate threads of the criminal code to reveal a complex web of moral insights about the nature of guilt and innocence and what, fundamentally, constitutes conduct worthy of punishment by criminal sanction.
Adam B. Seligman, Robert P. Weller, Michael J. Puett, and Bennett Simon
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195336009
- eISBN:
- 9780199868933
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195336009.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter turns to the capacities of the human mind that allow for the construction of the “as if” world of ritual, and begins to explore the ways such worlds allow us to deal with ambiguities and ...
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This chapter turns to the capacities of the human mind that allow for the construction of the “as if” world of ritual, and begins to explore the ways such worlds allow us to deal with ambiguities and ambivalences. The material in this chapter, unlike most work on ritual, links individual psychology to ritual's broader social work. It looks at the development of “as if” worlds and ritual-like behaviors in children, from things like repeated bedtime rituals to the capacity for invention and deceit. Another stream of the analysis examines more unusual and exotic behaviors like fetishism or extreme examples of lying. These two lines of discussion converge around the ways they allow us to deal with ambiguity, with examples taken from Greek tragedy and from the social role of deception and craftiness in certain social contexts.Less
This chapter turns to the capacities of the human mind that allow for the construction of the “as if” world of ritual, and begins to explore the ways such worlds allow us to deal with ambiguities and ambivalences. The material in this chapter, unlike most work on ritual, links individual psychology to ritual's broader social work. It looks at the development of “as if” worlds and ritual-like behaviors in children, from things like repeated bedtime rituals to the capacity for invention and deceit. Another stream of the analysis examines more unusual and exotic behaviors like fetishism or extreme examples of lying. These two lines of discussion converge around the ways they allow us to deal with ambiguity, with examples taken from Greek tragedy and from the social role of deception and craftiness in certain social contexts.
Jonardon Ganeri
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199202416
- eISBN:
- 9780191708558
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199202416.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Metaphysics/Epistemology
This chapter examines the discussion of truth-telling, sincerity, and deceit in the Mahābhārata. It explores classical Indian thinking about the value of truth, and the circumstances under which it ...
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This chapter examines the discussion of truth-telling, sincerity, and deceit in the Mahābhārata. It explores classical Indian thinking about the value of truth, and the circumstances under which it is morally permissible to tell a lie.Less
This chapter examines the discussion of truth-telling, sincerity, and deceit in the Mahābhārata. It explores classical Indian thinking about the value of truth, and the circumstances under which it is morally permissible to tell a lie.
Yonatan Malin
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195340051
- eISBN:
- 9780199863785
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340051.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Theory, Analysis, Composition
This book explores rhythm and meter in the nineteenth‐century German Lied. It illustrates the transformation of poetic meter into musical rhythm and situates songs within larger aesthetic and ...
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This book explores rhythm and meter in the nineteenth‐century German Lied. It illustrates the transformation of poetic meter into musical rhythm and situates songs within larger aesthetic and historical narratives. The Lied, as a genre, is characterized especially by the fusion of poetry and music. Poetic meter itself has expressive qualities, and rhythmic variations contribute further to the modes of signification. These features often carry over into songs, even as they are set in the more strictly determined periodicities of musical meter. A new method of declamatory‐schema analysis is presented to illustrate common possibilities for setting trimeter, tetrameter, and pentameter lines. Degrees of rhythmic regularity and irregularity are also considered. Recent theories of musical meter are reviewed and applied in the analysis and interpretation of song. Topics include the nature of metric entrainment (drawing on music psychology), metric dissonance, hypermeter, and phrase rhythm. The book provides new methodologies for analysis and close readings of individual songs by Fanny Hensel née Mendelssohn, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and Hugo Wolf. Whereas songs by Hensel, Schubert, and Schumann may generally be described as musical settings of poetic texts, songs by both Brahms and Wolf function as musical performances of poetic readings. The frequently mentioned differences between Brahms and Wolf are clarified, along with deeper affinities.Less
This book explores rhythm and meter in the nineteenth‐century German Lied. It illustrates the transformation of poetic meter into musical rhythm and situates songs within larger aesthetic and historical narratives. The Lied, as a genre, is characterized especially by the fusion of poetry and music. Poetic meter itself has expressive qualities, and rhythmic variations contribute further to the modes of signification. These features often carry over into songs, even as they are set in the more strictly determined periodicities of musical meter. A new method of declamatory‐schema analysis is presented to illustrate common possibilities for setting trimeter, tetrameter, and pentameter lines. Degrees of rhythmic regularity and irregularity are also considered. Recent theories of musical meter are reviewed and applied in the analysis and interpretation of song. Topics include the nature of metric entrainment (drawing on music psychology), metric dissonance, hypermeter, and phrase rhythm. The book provides new methodologies for analysis and close readings of individual songs by Fanny Hensel née Mendelssohn, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and Hugo Wolf. Whereas songs by Hensel, Schubert, and Schumann may generally be described as musical settings of poetic texts, songs by both Brahms and Wolf function as musical performances of poetic readings. The frequently mentioned differences between Brahms and Wolf are clarified, along with deeper affinities.
James Edwin Mahon
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195327939
- eISBN:
- 9780199852444
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195327939.003.0012
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
This chapter points out that the hysteria of philosophers over Kant's notorious claim that when people lie, they are always acting immorally, whatever the circumstances may be, is not really ...
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This chapter points out that the hysteria of philosophers over Kant's notorious claim that when people lie, they are always acting immorally, whatever the circumstances may be, is not really warranted, given that there are three senses of a lie to be found in Kant's moral philosophy — the ethical, the juristic, and the sense of right — and three corresponding duties not to lie. There are many cases in which Kant would not take the statement or deceptive action under consideration to be a lie. Juristic lies are a narrower category than ethical lies. The chapter convinces the reader that Kant's prohibition on lying is not nearly so outrageous, sweeping, and difficult to defend as it has almost always been taken to be.Less
This chapter points out that the hysteria of philosophers over Kant's notorious claim that when people lie, they are always acting immorally, whatever the circumstances may be, is not really warranted, given that there are three senses of a lie to be found in Kant's moral philosophy — the ethical, the juristic, and the sense of right — and three corresponding duties not to lie. There are many cases in which Kant would not take the statement or deceptive action under consideration to be a lie. Juristic lies are a narrower category than ethical lies. The chapter convinces the reader that Kant's prohibition on lying is not nearly so outrageous, sweeping, and difficult to defend as it has almost always been taken to be.
Leon Ehrenpreis
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780198509783
- eISBN:
- 9780191709166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198509783.003.0007
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Mathematical Physics
This chapter applies the book's methods to various Lie groups. In particular, to the horocyclic and geodesic transforms on G/K.
This chapter applies the book's methods to various Lie groups. In particular, to the horocyclic and geodesic transforms on G/K.
Lawrence Danson
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198186281
- eISBN:
- 9780191674488
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198186281.003.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
This introductory chapter explains the theme of this book, which is about Oscar Wilde's essays on aesthetics contained in his book enentitled Intentions, which was published in London, England in May ...
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This introductory chapter explains the theme of this book, which is about Oscar Wilde's essays on aesthetics contained in his book enentitled Intentions, which was published in London, England in May 1891. These essays include ‘The Decay of Lying’, ‘The Truth of Masks’, and ‘Pen, Pencil, Poison’. This book treats Intentions as a complex of personal attitudes, social affiliations, and cultural effects through which we can locate where Wilde tried to locate himself in the tumultuous world of late Victorian England. It provides facts about the essays' composition, publication, and reception.Less
This introductory chapter explains the theme of this book, which is about Oscar Wilde's essays on aesthetics contained in his book enentitled Intentions, which was published in London, England in May 1891. These essays include ‘The Decay of Lying’, ‘The Truth of Masks’, and ‘Pen, Pencil, Poison’. This book treats Intentions as a complex of personal attitudes, social affiliations, and cultural effects through which we can locate where Wilde tried to locate himself in the tumultuous world of late Victorian England. It provides facts about the essays' composition, publication, and reception.
George Pattison
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199588688
- eISBN:
- 9780191723339
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199588688.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Heidegger's critique of Gerede and Kierkegaard's analysis of chatter show language in crisis. However, this also reveals tensions in the basic structures of linguistic representation. This is ...
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Heidegger's critique of Gerede and Kierkegaard's analysis of chatter show language in crisis. However, this also reveals tensions in the basic structures of linguistic representation. This is explored further through Hegel, Heidegger, and Derrida. Particular attention is paid to the development in Heidegger's concept of language from his early lectures on Aristotle's Rhetoric through to his later concept of Ereignis. However, language is a human practice and what language ‘means’ is inseparable from how it is used or performed by those who speak it. Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky and M.M. Bakhtin are used to draw out the significance of the moral commitment of the speaker and the consequent problematization of language as a means of truthful communication in a human world characteristically moving in a fog of lies, prevarications, and misunderstanding. The question of language therefore leads to the question of human relationships, and their capacity to reveal Being.Less
Heidegger's critique of Gerede and Kierkegaard's analysis of chatter show language in crisis. However, this also reveals tensions in the basic structures of linguistic representation. This is explored further through Hegel, Heidegger, and Derrida. Particular attention is paid to the development in Heidegger's concept of language from his early lectures on Aristotle's Rhetoric through to his later concept of Ereignis. However, language is a human practice and what language ‘means’ is inseparable from how it is used or performed by those who speak it. Kierkegaard, Dostoevsky and M.M. Bakhtin are used to draw out the significance of the moral commitment of the speaker and the consequent problematization of language as a means of truthful communication in a human world characteristically moving in a fog of lies, prevarications, and misunderstanding. The question of language therefore leads to the question of human relationships, and their capacity to reveal Being.
Thomas L. Carson
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199577415
- eISBN:
- 9780191722813
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577415.003.0013
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, General
This chapter examines cases in which political leaders and public figures told lies or engaged in deception as a pretext for fighting wars. The examples given here include William Randolph Hearst, ...
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This chapter examines cases in which political leaders and public figures told lies or engaged in deception as a pretext for fighting wars. The examples given here include William Randolph Hearst, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, George W. Bush, and Dick Cheney. The chapter devotes particular attention to the case of Bush and Cheney and argues that they lied and attempted to deceive the public. Although this claim will strike many readers as obvious, it has not been adequately defended by those who make it. The journalists, public officials, and commentators who have accused Bush and Cheney of lying and deception do not offer careful definitions of lying and deception, much less a careful application of those definitions to the cases at issue. Certain features of my definition of lying are salient in these cases and help to show that Bush and Cheney lied and attempted to deceive the public – they strongly warranted the truth of claims that they knew were open to serious doubts. In most of these cases, lying and deception led to disastrous consequences and were morally wrong. However, the chapter argues that Franklin Roosevelt was morally justified in his lying and deception in order to aid Britain during the early stages of WWII. The chapter also discusses cases in which Dean Acheson, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight Eisenhower may have engaged in lying and deception in order to avoid wars. These also seem be to cases of justifiable lying/deception.Less
This chapter examines cases in which political leaders and public figures told lies or engaged in deception as a pretext for fighting wars. The examples given here include William Randolph Hearst, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, George W. Bush, and Dick Cheney. The chapter devotes particular attention to the case of Bush and Cheney and argues that they lied and attempted to deceive the public. Although this claim will strike many readers as obvious, it has not been adequately defended by those who make it. The journalists, public officials, and commentators who have accused Bush and Cheney of lying and deception do not offer careful definitions of lying and deception, much less a careful application of those definitions to the cases at issue. Certain features of my definition of lying are salient in these cases and help to show that Bush and Cheney lied and attempted to deceive the public – they strongly warranted the truth of claims that they knew were open to serious doubts. In most of these cases, lying and deception led to disastrous consequences and were morally wrong. However, the chapter argues that Franklin Roosevelt was morally justified in his lying and deception in order to aid Britain during the early stages of WWII. The chapter also discusses cases in which Dean Acheson, John Foster Dulles, and Dwight Eisenhower may have engaged in lying and deception in order to avoid wars. These also seem be to cases of justifiable lying/deception.
Thomas L. Carson
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199577415
- eISBN:
- 9780191722813
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199577415.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, General
In several works, Kant claims that lying is always wrong, no matter what. He is probably the most well‐known defender of an absolute prohibition against lying in the history of Western philosophy. ...
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In several works, Kant claims that lying is always wrong, no matter what. He is probably the most well‐known defender of an absolute prohibition against lying in the history of Western philosophy. The chapter surveys what Kant says about lying in his writings. It is noteworthy that he never directly appeals to the categorical imperative in any of his arguments to show that lying is always wrong. The chapter argues that the universal law version of the categorical imperative does not imply that lying is always wrong – one can consistently will that everyone follows maxims or principles that sometimes permit lying. Korsgaard to the contrary, the second version of the categorical imperative, which says that we should never treat another person as a mere means, does not imply that lying is never permissible. The chapter contends that Korsgaard's arguments rest on contentious interpretations of several ambiguous passages in Kant. None of the versions of the categorical imperative commits Kant to an absolute prohibition against lying. Not only does Kant fail to give a compelling argument for an absolute prohibition against lying, there are positive reasons to reject his absolutism. The duty not to lie can conflict with other moral duties. If lying is always wrong no matter what, then the duty not to lie must always be more important than any conflicting duty. However, it is most implausible to hold that the duty not to lie is always more important than any conflicting duty. Kant's own example of lying to thwart the plans of a would‐be murderer is one of the best illustrations of this.Less
In several works, Kant claims that lying is always wrong, no matter what. He is probably the most well‐known defender of an absolute prohibition against lying in the history of Western philosophy. The chapter surveys what Kant says about lying in his writings. It is noteworthy that he never directly appeals to the categorical imperative in any of his arguments to show that lying is always wrong. The chapter argues that the universal law version of the categorical imperative does not imply that lying is always wrong – one can consistently will that everyone follows maxims or principles that sometimes permit lying. Korsgaard to the contrary, the second version of the categorical imperative, which says that we should never treat another person as a mere means, does not imply that lying is never permissible. The chapter contends that Korsgaard's arguments rest on contentious interpretations of several ambiguous passages in Kant. None of the versions of the categorical imperative commits Kant to an absolute prohibition against lying. Not only does Kant fail to give a compelling argument for an absolute prohibition against lying, there are positive reasons to reject his absolutism. The duty not to lie can conflict with other moral duties. If lying is always wrong no matter what, then the duty not to lie must always be more important than any conflicting duty. However, it is most implausible to hold that the duty not to lie is always more important than any conflicting duty. Kant's own example of lying to thwart the plans of a would‐be murderer is one of the best illustrations of this.
William M. Goldman
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199534920
- eISBN:
- 9780191716010
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534920.003.0008
- Subject:
- Mathematics, Geometry / Topology
The theory of Higgs bundles, pioneered by Hitchin and Simpson, provides an analytic approach to studying surface group representations and their deformation space. This chapter describes the basic ...
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The theory of Higgs bundles, pioneered by Hitchin and Simpson, provides an analytic approach to studying surface group representations and their deformation space. This chapter describes the basic examples of this theory, emphasizing relations to deformation and rigidity of geometric structures. In particular, it reports on some very recent developments when G is a real Lie group, either a split real semisimple group or an automorphism group of a Hermitian symmetric space of noncompact type.Less
The theory of Higgs bundles, pioneered by Hitchin and Simpson, provides an analytic approach to studying surface group representations and their deformation space. This chapter describes the basic examples of this theory, emphasizing relations to deformation and rigidity of geometric structures. In particular, it reports on some very recent developments when G is a real Lie group, either a split real semisimple group or an automorphism group of a Hermitian symmetric space of noncompact type.
Tony Whitehead
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719072369
- eISBN:
- 9781781703298
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719072369.001.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
Mike Leigh may well be Britain's greatest living film director; his worldview has permeated our national consciousness. This book gives detailed readings of the nine feature films he has made for the ...
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Mike Leigh may well be Britain's greatest living film director; his worldview has permeated our national consciousness. This book gives detailed readings of the nine feature films he has made for the cinema, as well as an overview of his work for television. Written with the co-operation of Leigh himself, it challenges the critical privileging of realism in histories of British cinema, placing the emphasis instead on the importance of comedy and humour: of jokes and their functions; of laughter as a survival mechanism; and of characterisations and situations that disrupt our preconceptions of ‘realism’. Striving for the all-important quality of truth in everything he does, Leigh has consistently shown how ordinary lives are too complex to fit snugly into the conventions of narrative art. From the bittersweet observation of Life is Sweet or Secrets and Lies, to the blistering satire of Naked and the manifest compassion of Vera Drake, he has demonstrated a matchless ability to perceive life's funny side as well as its tragedies.Less
Mike Leigh may well be Britain's greatest living film director; his worldview has permeated our national consciousness. This book gives detailed readings of the nine feature films he has made for the cinema, as well as an overview of his work for television. Written with the co-operation of Leigh himself, it challenges the critical privileging of realism in histories of British cinema, placing the emphasis instead on the importance of comedy and humour: of jokes and their functions; of laughter as a survival mechanism; and of characterisations and situations that disrupt our preconceptions of ‘realism’. Striving for the all-important quality of truth in everything he does, Leigh has consistently shown how ordinary lives are too complex to fit snugly into the conventions of narrative art. From the bittersweet observation of Life is Sweet or Secrets and Lies, to the blistering satire of Naked and the manifest compassion of Vera Drake, he has demonstrated a matchless ability to perceive life's funny side as well as its tragedies.
