LOGICal eMOTIONs

Fortune Cookie Fridays – Week 1

// November 9th, 2007 // Fortune Cookie Fridays

A half-truth is a whole lie.

Well for one thing, Wikipedia turned up some interesting stuff with the best part being the claim that the above fortune is essentially a “Yiddish Proverb” (and for the record, I have no idea why there seems to be an ongoing Jewish and Chinese theme here – I’m Irish!).

Ok, so half-truths – good or bad? Well, when you get down to it, it really depends on perspective doesn’t it?

On of the best examples is that of Blind Men and an Elephant. The story goes that three blind men (or women, or politically correct genderless people in the dark) each touch a different part of the elephant then “compare notes” only to discover that they are in complete disagreement as to what the beastie is. The challenge is that they are all individually correct based on what they felt, yet otherwise (and collectively) wrong. They each have a half-truth, but are they actually lying? Well no, it’s not a lie – simply just not the whole truth.

Now a half-truth does become a whole lie when the motives are ulterior with the intent to harm. For example, if I’m selling a car that has been mangled in an accident, somewhat put back together, and it’s advertised “as new” – it’s a half truth and indeed a lie.

So really, it comes down to perspective and the underlying intention of the half-truth itself. If it is meant to deceive then yes, it is a whole lie, however, if the other half isn’t even known, can it be a lie? Deep.

What do you think?

UPDATE: I just found this today over on Futility Closet:

William Howard Taft once found himself stranded at a country railroad station and was told that the express train would not stop for a lone passenger.

He wired the conductor: STOP AT HICKSVILLE. LARGE PARTY WAITING TO CATCH TRAIN.

When the train stopped, Taft got aboard and told the conductor, “You can go ahead. I am the large party.”

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If you’re just joining us, Fortune Cookie Fridays are a new installment here at LOGICal eMOTIONs that all started with a free bag of fortune cookies..

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