Lying

By: Sam Harris

Narrated by: Sam Harris

Length: 1 hr and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

As it was in Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary, and Othello, so it is in life. Most forms of private vice and public evil are kindled and sustained by lies. Acts of adultery and other personal betrayals, financial fraud, government corruption - even murder and genocide - generally require an additional moral defect: a willingness to lie.

In Lying, bestselling author and neuroscientist Sam Harris argues that we can radically simplify our lives and improve society by merely telling the truth in situations where others often lie. He focuses on "white" lies - those lies we tell for the purpose of sparing people discomfort - for these are the lies that most often tempt us. And they tend to be the only lies that good people tell while imagining that they are being good in the process.

©2013 Sam Harris (P)2013 Sam Harris

Critic reviews

"This essay is quite brilliant. (I was hoping it would be, so I wouldn't have to lie.) I honestly loved it from beginning to end. Lying is the most thought-provoking read of the year." (Ricky Gervais)

"Humans have evolved to lie well, and no doubt you've seen the social lubrication at work. In many cases, we might not think of it as a true lie: perhaps a 'white' lie once in a blue moon, the omission of a sensitive detail here and there, false encouragement of others when we see no benefit in dashing someone's hopes, and the list goes on. In Lying, Sam Harris demonstrates how to benefit from being brutally - but pragmatically - honest. It's a compelling little book with a big impact." (Tim Ferriss author of the number-one New York Times best sellers The 4-Hour Body and The 4-Hour Workweek.)

"In this brief but illuminating work, Sam Harris applies his characteristically calm and sensible logic to a subject that affects us all: the human capacity to lie. And by the book's end, Harris has compelled you to lead a better life because the benefits of telling the truth far outweigh the cost of lies - to yourself, to others, and to society." (Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist, American Museum of Natural History)

Pleasantly surprised

I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy this book when I first purchased it. Since I consider Sam Harris to be the premier voice of reason in this country, I decided to give it a listen. I could not stop listening. If you are interested in rational thinking, do yourself a favor and read/listen to this book. I recommend listening due to it being read by the author. He has an outstanding speaking voice and reads with conviction.

Short and Sweet

I found the audio book version very nice to listen to. It's a bit of a pity that Sam didn't elaborate some more on his arguments.

Wish it was longer

Sam Harris is great, thoroughly enjoyed this! Content is insightful and the audiobook was nicely narratrated by him.

Sam harris

Sam Harris is my hero. I found out about audible on his podcast.

To lie or not to Lie, there is no option..

I thought this book was a revolution in the written format. From the underlying principles of white lies to huge lies and the kinds we tell ourselves; we ultimately lead ourself to destruction. For honesty to prevail no excuse is needed, no justifiable motive, nothing but the willingness to speak truthfully if not that honestly. To be honest is not easy especially in terms of the speaker sending said verbal message to the recipient and the recipient not receiving the message the speaker intended. The only fault I found in this book is there's no discussion of tonality, or how to make it so your honesty dose not offended someone. When the message is intended to be considered constructive. Such as the infamous taboo of telling a women she looks fat in a dress or some other article of clothing along those lines. If a section such as this were added I'd enjoy the book even more! I suggest everyone read this and see what a world without a variety of lies could accomplish. As childish as my statement is, there is nothing wrong with seeking honesty. The only fault lies in the methodological used to obtain said honesty.

A unique perspective on what the truth is

This book was enjoyable and thought provoking "essay" on telling the truth.
I enjoyed it because it reminded you that your ultimate cause may not be served by telling even white lies.
The flipside of that coin is that it does require the speaker to perform verbal jujitsu to accomplish there goal in the least offensive way possible. For example do I look fat in these jeans? A friend could reply no John no one would say you look fat but I could see why you would feel better if you lost 15 pounds.

A Great Read

Would you listen to Lying again? Why?

I would definitely listen to Lying again. I've actually read the book before and it's great to hear it with the author reading it. If you want to understand the problems with even the smallest white lie, you should read this book.

Have you listened to any of Sam Harris’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I also listened to Freewill and I think Sam Harris did a wonderful job with both.

Sam Harris at his best/shortest

Don't get discouraged by how short this publication is. It has a profound impact and I can only dream what it would be like if the humans would actually live up to their potentials as presented in this book. I will strive to do that on my part to the best extent I can! Go Sam!!

Highly recommended

This was an excellent, thought-provoking book that I'd recommend to everyone with a conscience – all humans!
Sam Harris is an intellectual powerhouse and a great communicator of his ideas.
The last chapter, the FAQ, which may have been an addition, is a great one.
My only recommendation would be to have another voice read the question and then the author's voice answer, because it was hard to determine sometimes where the question ended and the answer began.
Overall, I highly recommend this audiobook!

A thorough dehorsing of the deviant.

Mad that it ended. Sam's natural instinct to confront and disembowel every sacred cow of human psych makes us all spectate, and question where real human reasoning has gone so wrong, to conclude with the majority mindset that prevails today.