Lying

Lying is probably one of the most common immoral acts that just about everyone indulges in. Most people would say that lying is wrong, except when there is a good reason for it - which means that it's not always wrong -but what are the good reasons for lying? It is possible to lie with integrity?

I suppose most people would say that telling a white lie to save someones feelings is one of the situations where lying is most acceptable, but is that person not better off knowing the real truth, or is ignorance really bliss?

However, despite the fact we all know that lies are 'wrong', can we imagine being in a world without lies? There has been a recent film released, entitled The Invention of Lying in which the world is blissfully lie-free, until one man invents the concept of lying. However, although the film depicts a perfect world without lies, I have the distinct feeling that the world would collapse without them.

I'm not saying that we should all start lying like mythomaniacs, I still stand by the notion that lying is wrong, but it's certainly not something thats going to stop happening any time soon..