Re: [asa] Torture

Maybe I'm just not understanding something below, but how can someone (the
teacher) lie by asking the question? The teacher may be guilty of poor
judgment on when/how to ask the boy such a thing. And the boy, however noble
or protective and deserving of sympathy his motivations were, technically was
still the one making a statement & therefore lying. (Or his parents were
lying through him by coaching him to give a false answer.)

--Merv

Quoting j burg <hossradbourne@gmail.com>:

>
> I read an essay in the Christian Century last week on lying.
>
> The situation:
>
> A 10 year old boy is aware that his dad comes home drunk most nights.
> At school, in class, his teacher asks him if his dad comes home drunk
> most nights.
> The boy replies "no."
>
> Who lied?
>
> The essayist argues (well, I think) that it is the teacher who lied,
> not the boy.
>

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Received on Wed Aug 6 13:38:13 2008