The Prevalence of Deceit

F. G. Bailey

Published by Cornell University Press 1991

The Prevalence of Deceit

F. G. Bailey

https://doi.org/10.7591/9781501741128

Overview
Contents

About this book

In 1954 Adlai Stevenson, widely regarded as an honest (if not always successful) politician, urged his supporters to "cling everlastingly to the truth." Seven years later he lied to the United Nations about the Bay of Pigs. We have come to expect lies from politicians, F. G. Bailey says, but we are less willing to admit deceit and self-deception as a feature of everyone's life, a necessary part of our social and political systems.

In this engaging book, Bailey looks at the deeds and words of politicians in the United States, in India, and elsewhere; and at the behavior of ordinary people, mostly in village India. He demonstrates that there is a vast confusion about "truth," that in politics claims to have a monopoly on truth can rarely be sustained, and that people often find themselves treating what they believe to be false as if it were true, because it pays to do so.

Through a vivid survey of exemplary occasions of deceit—from the collusive lying of participants in marriage rituals to the institutionalized fraud designed to subdue the weak—Bailey illuminates our rich rhetoric for practical fudging, as we slide between deception, error, and fantasy. His thought-provoking conclusion brilliantly explores the possibility of testing truth in a world of contested values.

Author / Editor information

F.G. Bailey is Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, San Diego. His most recent books are The Witch-Hunt; or, The Triumph of Morality and The Kingdom of Individuals, both from Cornell.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
1. What Is Truth? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. Collusive Lying Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	35
3. Lies to Adversaries Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	65
4. Do What You Will? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	97
References Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	131
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	137

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 168
Keywords: Cultural Studies

eBook

Published: June 30, 2019
ISBN: 9781501741128