Tell the truth, or at least don't lie.
-Dr. Jordan Peterson, Twelve Rules for Life: an Antidote to Chaos
IS IT OK TO LIE TO GET WHAT YOU WANT, as long as in doing so no one is harmed and someone benefits? This seems to be the standard of popular morality. For example, if I wanted you to cheer up and be hopeful, I might tell you "everything's going to turn out alright", when disaster is looming. If a child asks you what happens to our bodies after we die, it's probably not a good idea to truthfully describe this process. When your wife asks you if she looks fat in her new jeans, etc., etc. The rule seems to be: "tell the truth unless it could hurt someone, then it's OK, even mandatory, to lie".
