Mistakes, deceptions, and lies

Harvard professor Sissela Bok writes in the book Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life.

If I state something that is false but I sincerely believe it to be true, I haven’t lied; I’m merely mistaken. But if I state a number of things that happen to be true but deliberately leave out a single exonerating fact or present information out of context, all with the intent to deceive, I have lied.

Thinking back on the 2004 presidential election campaign I am struck with the truth as presented by Professor Bok.

George Bush was accused of lying to the American people when he said that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. But this wasn't a lie. George Bush believed this to be true as did essentially every other leader in the free world.

Michael Moore, in Farenheit 9-11, presented interviews and footage of President Bush speaking to auditoriums filled with people, among other things. Each of these items was factual on its own. But through judicious use of tape splicing, intentional non-inclusion of certain interview responses, and presentation of material so out-of-context as to strain the bounds of reason, Moore proclaimed a lie.

For an equally outlandish documentary (but much more enjoyable), see Fellowship 9/11, in which Michael Moore questions Aragorn's integrity after the Helms Deep debacle. Very funny if you're a Lord of the Rings fan.