The Invention of Lying: Lies
Take turns asking each other questions about the following questions. Student 1 asks the questions
in BLUE and Student 2 asks the questions in BROWN.
- Why do people lie?
- When is it OK to tell a lie?
- What was the biggest lie you have ever told?
- Have you ever lied in a job interview or to your boss? Why/How did you do it?
- Who lie more? Men or Women?
- Who lie more? Children, teens or adults?
- Has anyone ever told you a lie that hurt you?
- Do you think white lies are ok? Explain it.
- What would you do if someone spread out lies about you?
− Would you tell someone to their face if you realized they are lying to you? Justify it.
II. Read the statements below about lying and decide if you agree with them and why.
1. Lying is okay when the truth can be hurtful.
2. Lying helps avoid unnecessary conflicts.
3. Lying can avoid hurting others.
4. Lying is okay because the truth hurts.
5. Lying may lead to endless arguements.
6. Lies destroy trust and creates distance.
7. It's difficult to contain a lie.
8. Lying, when well-told, can make your life better.
Watch the movie segment from the movie The Invention of Lying and discuss the questions.
1. Describe the scene.
2. How do you think life would be if everyone told the truth all the time?
3. What did the characters say that people do not usually do?
4. What would they say in a real life situation?
5. Would life be better or worse if everyone told the truth all the time?
Honesty
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What is the definition of honesty?
What do we mean when we say a person is honest?
Why is honesty important?
Why is honesty so difficult at times?
When is honesty difficult?
What is the opposite of honesty?
Why is it good to be honest?
Why is dishonesty not good?
Is there a difference between honesty and truthfulness?
Is there a different between dishonesty and lying?
When have you been honest?
When have you been dishonest?
At what times do you appreciate people being honest with you?
When have you had times when people have been dishonest with you?
How do feel when you have been dishonest with someone?
How do you feel when someone has been dishonest with you?
Who have you been honest with?
How can you be honest and not hurt someone?
When might it be kind more to be completely honest with someone?
Are there people that you do not trust?
How can you tell when people are being dishonest with you?
How can people tell if you have been dishonest with them?
What kind of problems does dishonesty cause?
What are some common situations when people are sometimes dishonest?
Is dishonesty every justifiable?
Truthfulness
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What is truthfulness?
What do we mean when we say that a person if truthful?
Why is it important to be truthful?
Are you always truthful?
How do you feel when you have been untruthful to others?
What is a half truth?
When have you told a half truth?
Is a half truth really being truthful?
What is a misleading truth?
When have you heard a misleading truth?
What professions are sometimes accused of giving misleading or half-truths?
How can you tell when someone is not telling you the whole truth?
What are some situations when telling a partial truth might be OK?
When are times when it might be kinder to tell a partial truth to someone?
What is the different between telling a partial truth and lying?
How do you know when to trust someone?
What kind/type of liar is that person ??
He/she is a chronic liar. = He/she never stops lying -- He/she does not lie occasionally or even
frequently; just goes around lying all the time !!
He/she is a congenital liar. = His/her lying has had very early beginnings... It is as if he/she
was born with that vice... One would not greatly exaggerate if one said he/she has been lying
from the very moment of his/her moment of birth !!
He/she is a consummate liar. = No one else can lie as artistically or as convincingly as he/she
does... His/her skill in lying has reached the zenith of perfection...
He/she is an egregious liar. = All his/her lies are vicious -- calculatedly and cold-bloodedly
so !! He/she specifically designs his/her lies to hurt and to do harm...
He/she is a glib liar. = Possessing a lively imagination and a ready tongue, he/she fabricates
great lies or little fibs alike with great speed, fluency and smoothness... Ironically enough, it is
this great ability makes him/her suspect: we may admire the nimble wit behind the quick
answers, but we do not fail at the same time to notice that he/she is "always full of pretty
answers"...
He/she is an inveterate liar. = Lying is a firmly-fixed and deeply-rooted habit with him/her...
It is almost as reflexive it is for him/her as lighting a cigarette after sex...
He/she is an incorrigible liar. = His/her habitual lying accepts no correction... He/she just
goes on and on lying despite any embarrassment or punishment he/she may have suffered in the
past: There is just no reforming him/her...
He/she is a notorious liar. = He/she has managed to establish for himself/herself so solid and
unsavory a reputation as an incorrigible liar that he/she can now fool only an unknowing stranger
-- and even that, not for long !!
He/she is a psychopathic liar. = He/she cannot tell the difference between truth and
falsehood, cannot distinguish fact from fantasy... He/she, in this particular respect at least,
cannot be accepted as entirely sane.
He/she is an unconscionable liar. = He/she is totally unscrupulous, completely without a
conscience... He/she never feels the slightest pain of guilt, no matter what harm his/her lies, fibs
and fabrications may cause to his/her innocent victims...
See If You Can Match The Word With The Meaning
(1)...chronic (2)...congenital (3)...consummate
(6)...incorrigible (7)...inveterate (8)...notorious
(10)...unconscionable
(4)...egregious (5)...glib
(9)...psychopathic
See If You Can Match The Word With The Meaning
(1)...chronic (2)...congenital (3)...consummate
(6)...incorrigible (7)...inveterate (8)...notorious
(10)...unconscionable
(4)...egregious (5)...glib
(9)...psychopathic
( ) (a) long and firmly established, deeply-habituated, long-accustomed...
obstinate or confirmed in a habit...
( ) (b) lacking a sense of the just and the righteous, lacking in
conscientiousness... not caring about what is right or wrong...
( ) (c) widely/commonly known for some unpleasant or reprehensible quality,
well-known in a bad way...
( ) (d) mentally or emotionally disturbed or not to be deemed quite normal...
( ) (e) happening at or during birth, existing from birth...
( ) (f) outstandingly bad, exceptionally evil-mongering...
( ) (g) quick, ready and smooth, but without depth or sincerity...
( ) (h) complete, perfect, highly skilled...
( ) (i) beyond reform, incapable of being corrected, improved upon or put right...
( ) (j) going or lasting for a long time...