An untrue statement is either a lie or a fiction.
However, all three kinds of statements exist within fiction.
In Poul Anderson's History of Technic Civilization:
The Earth Book Of Stormgate incorporates works of historical fiction;
later, Dominic Flandry counteracts Aycharaych's disinformation by gathering accurate military intelligence.
Is there a third kind of untrue statement, the yarn:
recounted as if it were a true experience;
primarily intended to entertain;
believed by some but not by others;
not intended to mislead about anything that matters?
When I repeated a tall tale and was asked, "You didn't believe him, did you?," I was annoyed not at the raconteur for lying but at myself for being taken in so is there a moral difference between lies and yarns?
4 comments:
Paul:
In the end of one of Michael Scott Rohan's fantasy novels, one of the main characters sang to the crowd about his adventures, deliberately making it SOUND like a tall tale. It was so entertaining that no one who heard it wanted anymore to hear the truth of the matter.
Only the singer's closest friend realized they'd HEARD the truth. Yes, he DID have a romantic relationship with a goddess. Yes, she DID take him to play his music for her father, god of all the sea. Yes, he WOULD still be down there playing if the god of the Earthfires hadn't showed up and ordered the sea god to let the minstrel go.
The basic difference between fiction and lying is the intent to deceive.
Mr Stirling,
That is clear. The main purpose of a yarn is to entertain so maybe it is closer to a fiction than to a lie.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul and Mr. Stirling,
There is yet another kind of "falsehood." A person can honestly believe in the truth of something he says but it was still false. I would call this an error rather than a deliberate lie.
Sean
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