Lying to others, lying to yourself, and literal self-deception

2023

Closed access Metadata (CSL-JSON)
DOI 10.1080/0020174x.2023.2206850
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

This paper examines the connection between lies, deception, and self-deception. Understanding this connection is important because the consensus is that you cannot deceive yourself by lying since you cannot make yourself believe as true a proposition you already believe is false – and, as a liar, you must assert a proposition you believe is false. My solution involves refining our analysis of lying: people can lie by asserting what they confidently believe is true. Thus, self-deceivers need not replace one belief with another; rather, they may just increase existing credence in a proposition they already believe is true.