Bok Says Lying and Distrust Damage Society, Create Deceit

Political lying and subsequent public distrust are disastrous for our society and are creating a vicious circle of alienation and deceit among government officials and the public, Sissela Bok, Lecturer on Medical Ethics, told an audience of 350 yesterday at the Kennedy School Forum.

"The public has a sense that it cannot trust what is being said, "Bok, the author of "Lying: Moral Choice in Public and Private Life," told the crowd.

Politics is different from other professions, Bok explained, because politicians are always accusing one another of lying and are constantly being asked to make promises or guarantees.

"Politicians are pressed into making promises that are not deceptive but are wildly optimistic," she said.

Although there has not been an increase in lying per capita, a great many more people today feel deceived than in the past, Bok said, attributing increasing alienation to modern communication and the fact that "one lie or promise reaches millions of people."

The deceit of the Watergate and Vietnam period affected a large segment: of the public, Bok said, nothing that there is a 'growing gap between experienced reality and What is being said."

Distrust is self-perpetuating, Bok explained, adding "The gravest danger is when distrust turns people away from voting and social participation."

Politicians should consider the impact of telling lies and making promises and the public should adopt what George Santayana called a "seasoned and incredulous mind," Bok argued.

While a lie in order to save an innocent life or in an accepted situation--such as a poker game--is acceptable, politicians deceptions are not, Bok said.

People, however, do not always have a duty to say something if it is better left unsaid, Bok argued, adding, "I don't think you need to blurt out all your feelings to every member of the human race you encounter."

The talk, sponsored by the Institute of Politics and the Cambridge Forum, was recorded for public television as part of a series commemorating the bicentennial of the life and the thoughts of William Ellery Channing, a leader of the Unitarian Church in the 18th century