A lie is based on intent. If you're purposely intending to mislead someone, whether by omitting information or by outright stating false information, then it's a lie.
this post was submitted on 13 May 2026
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I wouldn't consider it in a vacuum. I also look at intent and consequences. Did they omit info to gain advantage over others, or were they refusing to tell a Nazi where they hid the jews? Did their choice lead to a better outcome for everyone, or did it cause chaos and disrupt lives needlessly?
Everyone going "duh it's still a lie" - calling someone a liar carries a specific connotation which I don't think applies in all cases of so-called "lies". To me, a lie carries with it not just an intentional falsehood but an accusation or an accusable misdeed. I wouldn't call someone a liar because they hid jews from nazis.
Pretty sure not telling the nazi is still a lie. But an example of when it is ethical to lie.
You are either answering the wrong question, or are defining a lie based on some criteria I don't recognize.
Telling a Nazi there are no Jews in my basement is a lie. The only way it's not a lie is if there are, in fact, no Jews in my basement. But it is not wrong to lie to a Nazi.
A lie is still a lie, even if it’s told to a Nazi or if there’s an otherwise good outcome
Ooh I like that perspective.
Omission can be a lie as long as the intent is to deceive. Thats an important element to making something a lie
the crucial element of a lie is intention to decieve, either by ommission or commission
If Jean-Luc Picard says it’s so, it’s so.
Completely serious - I often use WWJLPD to inform a decision I have to make.
Jean-Luc Piucard demands you make it so
Yes.
And lie by suggestion and implication is also a lie.
Agree with earlier comments that intentionally failing to mention a relevant truth (when one has an opportunity, when the relevant truth has not already been raised by others, etc.) can be an intention to deceive. But if we define "lie by omission" more broadly to include the failure to utter truths, then the only way to avoid it is to know everything, talk constantly, and approach infinite full disclosure by finite steps.
Are you sure you’re not really asking if lying is good or bad? To me that’s an important distinction that should be addressed.
My kids used to believe in Santa and the Tooth Fairy. I perpetuated those lies because it was fun for everyone, and the boys enjoyed it. Now they’re older and know better, and they understand both sides. They were not hurt or upset.
But if I know my friend’s wife is cheating on him, and I don’t say anything to him, then obviously that’s bad and my friend would be devastated even more to find out I withheld such important information.
We often conflate “not telling lies” with “all lies are bad”, and that’s not always true.
How about a lie of omission to myself?
You can omit things from yourself? I'm not sure if I should be jealous or afraid.
In some trivial sense, we're all doing it constantly. The brain processes a lot of information that doesn't enter your train of thought. Then there's everything we experience but reflexively avoid thinking about due to some fear, pain, or conditioning. Then there's willful "putting out of mind," or willful forgetting, selective attention. And if ya push some of those hard, ya get ritual self-manipulation. I guess I'd argue the most common lie of omission is to the self.