Honestly. Really, Truthfully?!
When work colleagues state what is important for good working practice, or when someone on a dating site lists what is important to them, you will often hear the word 'honesty' used.
But do people really want honesty, I mean, honestly? Humans often mute outright criticism of the boss and ease into a potential future relationship without saying everything directly as they see it.
So, what is the moral philosophy around being honest or truthful. And are these two things, truth and honesty, the same.
Firstly, let me speak openly (see what I did there?) For most of us the human experience is complex and the word honesty is vague.
Not so for the philosopher Immanuel Kant. For him, anything other than stating how it is, or at least exactly as one saw it, was problematic. Damaging to us as well as to those we commune with.
But you don't have to look at more than a couple of day-to-day scenarios to recognise that saying what you think all the time is often not good.
For instance. Telling someone about to go into an interview that their suit is ugly, or an athlete about to start a race that you think they will lose. Both might be true, but is this 'honesty' just a subjective view, rather than a definitive truth. And however you look at it, saying such things feels unhelpful and unkind.
Perhaps then, we send out signals of support, of appreciation, of deference, because it helps us all 'rub-along'? Raising the question, is compliance better than conviction?
Nietzche, hardly a Kantian moralist, would frame our actions between on the one hand, the 'herd mentality' and on the other, being proud and clear on what we think. He wanted us to be less sheep, more Superman, But is framing often subjective views as being about truth verses lies unhelpful. perhaps it's okay to be a little dishonest if the alternative is crass directness?
Is it about adjusting to context then, simple pragmatism, or might we be guilty of being disingenuous, storing up pote
Honestly. Really, Truthfully?! When work colleagues state what is important for good working practice, or when someone on a dating site lists what is important to them, you will often hear the word 'honesty' used. But do people really want honesty, I mean, honestly? Humans often mute outright criticism of the boss and ease into a potential future relationship without saying everything directly as they see it. So, what is the moral philosophy around being honest or truthful. And are these two things, truth and honesty, the same. Firstly, let me speak openly (see what I did there?) For most of us the human experience is complex and the word honesty is vague. Not so for the philosopher Immanuel Kant. For him, anything other than stating how it is, or at least exactly as one saw it, was problematic. Damaging to us as well as to those we commune with. But you don't have to look at more than a couple of day-to-day scenarios to recognise that saying what you think all the time is often not good. For instance. Telling someone about to go into an interview that their suit is ugly, or an athlete about to start a race that you think they will lose. Both might be true, but is this 'honesty' just a subjective view, rather than a definitive truth. And however you look at it, saying such things feels unhelpful and unkind. Perhaps then, we send out signals of support, of appreciation, of deference, because it helps us all 'rub-along'? Raising the question, is compliance better than conviction? Nietzche, hardly a Kantian moralist, would frame our actions between on the one hand, the 'herd mentality' and on the other, being proud and clear on what we think. He wanted us to be less sheep, more Superman, But is framing often subjective views as being about truth verses lies unhelpful. perhaps it's okay to be a little dishonest if the alternative is crass directness? Is it about adjusting to context then, simple pragmatism, or might we be guilty of being disingenuous, storing up pote
Website: www.meetup.com