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BIDDEFORD, Maine

David Livingstone Smith interviewed for ‘American Scholar’ article on lying

David Livingstone Smith, Ph.D., professor of philosophy was interviewed for the cover story of the summer 2015 issue of The American Scholar.

"The Examined Lie: A meditation on memory," offers a charitable assessment of former NBC news anchor Brian Williams’ misrepresentation of his experience aboard a helicopter that was under fire during the Iraq war, making a case that scientific studies of memory reveal that recollections are often inaccurate and that sharing mistaken memories constitutes unintentional lying—an act that should not carry the same weight as the purposeful fabrication of stories.

Referring to Smith’s work in his book Why We Lie, the article stresses the normalcy of lying, stating that self-deception exists "at the core of our humanity."

"The task of getting on in life requires self-deception because too much honesty is antisocial" Smith explained.

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