Lying

By: Sam Harris

Narrated by: Sam Harris

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)

Confronting oneself

I liked the way this book made me feel a bit uncomfortable. You don't hear or read these bluntly honest opinions about the type of lies that we often consider socially acceptable (if you think about it, as the author explains, they are harmful). I did not agree with some of his arguments, but the most important thing was that this book made me re-evaluate my approach to life. I also liked the last 30 minutes where he responded to readers' questions. When there are too many books out there in which the authors stretch and repeat the same points over and over again, this to-the-point style was also refreshing.

Insightful - Will Read Again

This is one that I knew I would agree with but fail to implement completely. I plan on reading many times in the future to gain the strength to change. Complete honesty in this society is tough. Loved this book.

Sam Harris has done it again.

What did you like best about this story?

If you are a fan of Sam Harris, you will love this little audiobook. A ton of great analysis packed into 75 minutes.

Erudite and thought-provoking

Harris makes a compelling argument that humans should strive to completely eliminate lying (except in very rare and extreme circumstances, and often not even then). Harris, per usual, is thought-provoking, thoughtful, and thoroughly original. I have never considered lies, especially habitual white lies and lies of commission or omission, to be as potentially harmful to personal relationships and societal trust as Harris argues. But having finished this extended essay, I don't think I will ever look at half-truths and outright lies the same way.

Interesting, if not complete

This audiobook explores the subject of lying, but fails to come full circle and establish the author's argument. I imagine one can find it in there, but I'm accustomed to an argument like this closing with a summation or conclusion and this ends abruptly after he responds to questions from people who wrote to him about it. All in all I'm glad that I listened to it, because it expanded my thinking on the subject, so I would have given it three and a half stars if that option was available to me.