BTW… I agree with your advice - next time, unless I know the person I’m talking with pretty well, it’s probably best for me to avoid *sarcastic/joking* insults.

Let me ask you this. Could you go the rest of your life never telling a lie?

If that were true people would be at peace.

And I’m not addressing hypotheticals. Real examples only.

The VAST majority of children grow up to be wonderfull, productive members of society. If that weren’t true, humans would have gone extinct a long time ago.

Or, “Santa will only come if you fall asleep.” The kids get some much needed rest, there imagination runs wild, parent’s get to spend time toghether on a special night, the family wakes up and enjoys a wonderful morning.

Since when can one person lying be mutually beneficial to an entire group?

Also, you are an itenligent person who can deal with truth. You have the mental capacity to handle difficult situations. However, there are weaker people who simply cannot deal with some truths. For example, children. How often do adults lie to children in order to keep them safe?

And think about this…

If no one lied, would it still be necessary. If everyone told the truth all the time people would have to learn to handle the truth, making them stronger, thereby making lying unnecessary. Maybe lying has made people too sensitive. And if you argue that those with power must lie to retain said power, if they didn’t lie in the first place to get the power what would they have to lie about to keep it?

[quote Saggezza]is lying necessary because, otherwise, mankind would not be able to handle reality in a manner efficient enough to overcome …. something, what??[/quote]

Mankind would learn to handle it or perish. adaptation, survival of the fittest. Conveniences make people weak. Think about it. 200 years ago most people knew how to do things that few do now, because we have conveniences(technology/services) that do them for us. 200 years ago most people could sew and make their own clothes, now we have machines and companies to do that for us and most of us have lost that ability. Maybe lying has caused us to loose the ability to cope with hard truths. If we didn’t lie, would we need to?

Hmmm. very interesting. Didn’t think of that. But that would imply that humans are inherintly self-destructive. So, without lying (among other behaviours) to offset mankinds destructive behaviour, humans would die off.

each other?

Of course everyone lies. That’s the source of the original question, Is lying necessary to sustain a productive society?

in a sense, yes. conveniences = efficiency.

no, its convinient.

Well, I’m talking about **generally**… Is lying necessary to maintain a productive society. If everyone always told the thruth, where would we be (as a society).