CA Essay Planning Sheet!
Complete this worksheet by the beginning of class on Wednesday (September 9), and submit it to
your rampages blog.
1) Summarize your specific instance of lying. Why did you select this instance? What about it
captures your attention? (50-100 words)
In the movie Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope, Obi Wan tell Luke that “Darth Vader
betrayed and murdered your father.” This is not technically true, as we all know now that
Vader was Luke’s father all along. Yet Obi Wan defends his lye by saying it was based on
perspective, or point of view. This raises interesting questions once again about the real
definition of a lie, and whether or not one’s point of view compared to the audience’s
determines if a statement is a lie or not.
2) Write your framing question. How does this question apply to the primary text or popular
secondary source you selected and the course theme (lying)? Why are you interested in
answering this question? (150-200 words)
My framing question is whether or not one’s point of view determines whether or not a
statement can be considered a lie. Tackling the definition of lying can be tough, but based on
this question, several lies throughout history can be explained away by merely saying that
based on the liar’s point of view, he was telling the truth. This relates to my primary source,
the movie Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, because of Obi Wan’s statement to Luke in
the above answer. Obi Wan tells Luke a falsehood, but defends himself through the point of
view approach. Does this make his statement a truth? Or did he still lie to Luke, for
whatever reason? I’m interested in this questions because of the many events in history and
in modern society that it pertains to. Innumerable lies can be explained away by this
approach, so determining the definition of a lie in regards to viewpoint is something
important.
3) Which shared reading (“Natural Born Liars,” “Do Police Interrogations Produce False
Confessions?,” or “Lying in Everyday Life”) are you going to use in your essay?
Cite the source according to APA or MLA standards.
Smith, David Livingstone. “Natural-Born Liars.” Why We Lie: The Evolutionary Roots of
Deception and the Unconscious Mind. New York CIty: St. Martin’s, 2004. 9-28. Print.
Write a summary of the text. Make sure that your summary states the main claim
and the reasons given to support it. Refer to A Writer’s Reference for instructions on
writing a good summary. (75-125 words)
This text describes how lying is an innate human behavior that all people do during
their lives. It shows how perceptions of known or habitual liars are negative, yet all
people lie, either through their clothes, or their makeup, or any other number of
ways that people give false information to other people. It also touches on the key
topic of self-deceptions, and how they may affect our lives, as well as whether or not
a self-deception is considered a lie in our point of view.
List keywords that capture why you think the source is important for your research.
Self-Deception, definition, conscious, unconscious, natural,
Identify at least two brief quotes from the reading. Thoroughly explain each quote,
and then articulate why you think it will help you formulate a reasonable response to
your question. Be as precise as possible. (275 words)
“Ironically, the primary reasons we are so good at lying to others is that we are good
at lying to ourselves.”
This quote introduces the concept of self-deception in Smith’s article, and
with it we are able to get a glimpse at the underlying reasons behind self-deception.
The quote explains why humans, and other species as well, are so adept at lying to
each other, for various reasons. It has already been proven that we lie, and we lie for
all kinds of different reasons, but the question of how we are so good at it is what he
is getting at with this quote. Smith is telling us that the reason is because of our own
willingness to deceive ourselves, to make ourselves believe the same falsehoods that
we are going to convey unto others. This will help relate to my questions because it
shows that all liars deceive themselves in some way, and that is where the question of
point of view comes into play. Is it still a lie if you believe it yourself when you tell it
to another?
“As Trivers noted, biologists propose that the overriding function of self-deception
is the more fluid deception of others. Self-deception helps us ensnare other people
more effectively. It enables us to lie sincerely, to lie without knowing that we are
lying.”
In this quote, Smith is giving us the function of self-deception, as well as the
reasons that it is helpful to us as liars. He is telling us that because we are lying to
ourselves, and we believe that our own deceptions are true, we lie more effectively.
The last part of his quote is the most important to my question. “To lie without
knowing we are lying.” That sums up the whole reason that point of view is an issue
when we try to define whether or not something is a lie.
Copy and paste the claim of the piece from the source. Then state the claim in your
own words.
4) Substantive Source (provide link or .pdf)
https://theamericanscholar.org/the-examined-lie/#.VfA_ExHBzRY
Cite the source according to APA or MLA standards.
McWilliams, James. "The Examined Lie." The American Scholar:. N.p., 08 June 2015.
Web. 09 Sept. 2015.
Write a summary of the text. Make sure that your summary states the main claim
and the reasons given to support it. Refer to A Writer’s Reference for instructions on
writing a good summary. (75-125 words)
In the article, McWilliams is trying to figure out whether it is really a lie, or a bad
thing, when someone lies due to remembering a circumstance wrong. He uses
incidents like Brian Williams lying about his time in Iraq to show that people often
misremember things, and therefore have no intention of lying when they make their
statement.
List keywords that capture why you think the source is important for your research.
Memory, Mistake, Misinformation, Virtue
Identify at least two brief quotes from the reading. Thoroughly explain each quote,
and then articulate why you think it will help you formulate a reasonable response to
your question. Be as precise as possible. (275 words)
“Innocent lies happen because memory, which is inseparable from error, connects
humans through the stories we concoct.”
McWilliams is trying to state with this quote that lies that stem from a
misremembrance of a crucial detail, or things like that, are innocent, and not
necessarily wrong. He makes the case that misremembering things is part of the
human experience, because all humans make errors, and a memory error that leads to
a lie is should not be viewed as a bad moral choice, or even in the same boat with
other lies. This connects with my question as it helps define whether someone is
really lying when they lie based on what they think. If you are lying, but you think it
is the truth, due to your memory at least, you could say that it is not really a lie, and
more just an unpreventable error.
“War, it seems, is not only hell. It’s hell on memory.”
With this quote, McWilliams is stating that memory often changes or suffers
errors when war is involved. The traumatic events, and need to please others with
stories of valor or hardship often cause crucial memory lapses, which can easily lead
to lying in the future. This connects not only to my question, but also my primary
source. If wartime causes misremembrance of events, then should lies based from
wartime memories be forgiven? This applies to the lie in Star Wars as well, as Obi
Wan is involved in war whilst the events that cause Darth Vader’s transformation
happen, which could lead to a misremembered detail.
Copy and paste the claim of the piece from the source. Then state the claim in your
own words.
“Memory is a shaky thing, and as a result, we can fight lies only with our own
versions of the truth.”
McWilliams claim is that memory can lead to lying, and that the only way to
avoid lying is by having our own memories be correct. Yet since all humans make
errors, lying is going to occur no matter what.
5) Scholarly Source (provide pdf)
http://web.b.ebscohost.com.proxy.library.vcu.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b6dedc
45-c816-4590-bb3e-cbd03d24f4d8%40sessionmgr112&vid=1&hid=123
Cite the source according to APA or MLA standards.
Sorensen, Roy. "Bald Faced Lies! Lying without the Intent to Decieve."EBSCOhost.
N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2015.
Write a summary of the text. Make sure that your summary states the main claim
and the reasons given to support it. Refer to A Writer’s Reference for instructions on
writing a good summary. (75-125 words)
In the text, the author, Sorensen, is studying why obvious lies, with no intention to
deceive, receive so much negative reaction. He is arguing that a lie without the intent
to deceive, a “Bald-faced lie” is not a harmful thing, and therefore shouldn’t receive
negative scrutiny from the lie’s audience. Common knowledge of a statement’s
untruth makes the statement almost not a lie at all. While it is untrue, everyone is
aware of that fact, and therefore no one is deceived.
List keywords that capture why you think the source is important for your research.
Obvious, deception, intent, negative.
Identify at least two brief quotes from the reading. Thoroughly explain each quote,
and then articulate why you think it will help you formulate a reasonable response to
your question. Be as precise as possible. (275 words)
“Deontological explanations of why lying is bad turn on the intent to deceive.”
In this quote, Sorensen is revealing why he thinks obvious lies shouldn’t be
received so negatively by the audience. The intention to deceive another person is
the thing that makes a lie harmful in any way. Without an intention to deceive, than
the lie was harmless, it was either obvious to all people, much like sarcasm, or the
teller must have believed it himself. This connects to my question because without
an intent to deceive, lies told from a certain point of view or belief might not really
be considered harmful, and therefore should be free from the negative connotation
associated with the word “lie”.
“Falsehood is base in its own right and deserves blame”
This is actually a quote from the Greek philosopher Aristotle, which is
included in Sorensen’s article. It offers an opposing viewpoint to the one above, by
saying that any untruth, regardless of its intent or transparency, is still a lie, and
deserves the negative attention that is usually given to it. This connect with my
question because it refutes the claim that point of view matters when making
statement, as if a statement is false, even if you believe it to be true, it is still a lie, and
deserving of its status. So even without the intent to deceive, or the belief that what
you say is true, a lie is a lie. Therefore in my instance of lying, Obi Wan would be
found guilty of the lie he told, regardless of his explanation.
Copy and paste the claim of the piece from the source. Then state the claim in your
own words.
“The wrongness of lying springs from the intent to deceive – just the feature missing
in the case of bald-faced lies.”
Basically, for one to receive a negative reaction from the audience of a lie, the
lie should have the intent to deceive, it shouldn’t be obvious to all listeners. Lying in
a way that is obvious to all isn’t morally wrong, and shouldn’t be viewed as such.
6) Synthesis Matrix
Seeing how various sources fit together is challenging. The synthesis matrix is designed to
establish how your sources converse with one another to help you have a robust understanding
of how they weigh in on your question. You will design a matrix using the four sources (1
shared reading, 1 substantive source, 1 scholarly source, and 1 popular secondary source or
primary text) you will use in your Critical Analysis Essay. This will illustrate the main
ideas/topics of your sources in relation to your question: what they specifically assert regarding
it.
Fill out the template at the bottom of this assignment (page 2). Line up your four sources in
the left hand column of the grid and then write your two or three categories across the top
column. Your categories should be important aspects of the topic of your paper. Example: If I
were writing about a particular song, I might generate the following categories as important
aspects of why it is my favorite: tempo, lyrics, & syncopation. Note: The point here is to weave
together the commonalities between your sources—what do all your sources say about each
category. Be thorough with what each source has to say regarding the categories.
You must write the information in the grid using complete thoughts/sentences. Use direct
quotes from your sources, making sure to provide in-text citations. Additionally, you must
provide nuanced and clear explanations of what each quote reveals about its category.
Framing Question:
Category #1
Category #2
Category #3
(If applicable)
Intent
Memory/Knowledge of
lie
All people lie, with
or without intent, it
is a natural
occurrence in the
world.
Through Self-Deception,
people do not always
even know for sure that
they are lying, seeing as
they have deceived
themselves into the same
lie.
Source 1
(Natural
Born Liars
by David
Livingston
Smith)
Source 2
(Star Wars
Episode IV:
A New
Hope by
George
Lucas)
Obi Wan lies to
Luke about his
father’s true
identity, not
intending to
deceive him really,
as to his point of
view, he was not
lying.
Obi Wan may or may not
have memory of the true
way of events, but he
does base his statement
off of his point of view,
or his belief, therefore to
him causing his
statement to be true.
Lying happens,
everyone does it,
and it is not always
on purpose. People
often lie without
intending to based
on their memory of
the event.
Memory is a fickle thing,
and humans do make
errors. Therefore, people
might lie about an event
while believing they are
being truthful. A
memory based lie is not
harmful, and should be
forgiven.
The intent to
deceive is the most
important aspect
when it comes to
determining a lie’s
wrongness.
Without the intent
to deceive, a lie is
harmless and
should be viewed
as such.
If you believe that your
lie is obvious and
transparent, then your lie
is not harmful. Only lies
intending to deceive are
harmful, so if you believe
you are telling the truth,
then you are not
intending to deceive.
Source 3
(The
Examined
Lie by
James
McWilliams)
Source 4
(Bald Faced
Lies by Roy
Sorensen)