Fallacies and lies Fallacies and lies are the opposite of myth. They have surface structures which are presented as true, but a deep structure which is false. What distinguishes a fallacy from a lie is the belief and intent of the person presenting the story or the information and whether what they present reflects what they believe. In 1491, if a person told you that the world was flat, it could not be anything but a fallacy. No one had proof to the contrary: no one knew. Lying is not possible without knowledge of deep structure truth or falsehood. Someone who sincerely believes that the deep structure of what they are presenting is true is not lying. They may be presenting a falsehood as truth out of ignorance, but it is sincere if deluded ignorance. Lying, on the other hand, is presenting a surface structure which the liar knows to be contrary to the deep structure. S= True -------- = Fallacy D= False, sincere delusion or error S= True -------- = Lie D= False, with intentional knowledge
Posted on: Tue, 24 Sep 2013 23:47:36 +0000
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