Sineokaya, Yu. V. Truth as the Opposite Side of Deceit

Abstract: The article is devoted to analyzing the phenomenon of lying. Even though it may seem like a paradox, one of the most efficient and therefore most common methods of up-bringing of the younger generation (including detection of child’s fraud) is the parent’s lie. Negative consequences of the parent’s lie are quite obvious and include fear, anxiety, feeling lonely and abandoned that are growing inside a child under the influence of his parent’s threats and child’s imagination. The author shares her opinion on whether the parent’s lie actually makes a child obedient and how it forms the understanding of ethics of truth. The author also discusses the long-term effects of the parent’s deceit on a child’s perception of himself and his parents and answers the question whether the parent’s lie can be excused and what other methods except for lying can be used by parents in up-bringing. It is quite obvious that lies do not help to establish moral principles and ethics. The author speaks out against a common social stereotype according to which lying cannot be used as a tool of up-bringing and a mean of socialization.

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