Is fiction lying?

[CuriousInIL]

Is writing and distributing fictional stories that are written from a first person perspective (e.g., someone who is not a precocious 16 year old, a 32 year old French female Muslim, or a 87 year old Russian ex-Admiral writes a story that indicates the writer is exactly one of those folks) lying?

Is this lying? Why or why not?

When does the lie occur if there is one? Upon writing? Upon distribution? Does it matter if the readers suspect that it is fiction? If it is released as fiction? How about if it is released as a short biography? Does it matter if the story is release anonymously or under a pseudonym?

What if one is "becoming" a fictional person on, for example, these message boards and answering as someone they are not, either a made up person, or by pretending to be, for example, their spouse (assuming as is usually the case on message boards that overall the identity of the person is not known any way--I am not talking about someone hijacking their spouses identity and carrying on a conversation with someone that knows them in real life)?

Any thoughts and comments are appreciated.

 

[RealSorceror]

It is only lying if it is presented as true. If it is presented as fiction, then its alright.

 

[Miss Mayberry]

We already know fiction to be untrue. If I wrote a story about my life as a unicorn and presented it as non-fiction, then there would be a problem.

 

[CuriousInIL]

What if it is "presented" as either fiction or non-fiction? Say it is just a story on a website and there is no indication one way or another whether it is intended as fiction or non-fiction/biography?

 

[RealSorceror]

What if it is "presented" as either fiction or non-fiction? Say it is just a story on a website and there is no indication one way or another whether it is intended as fiction or non-fiction/biography?

That would depend entirely on the intention of the owner of the website. If he wants people to interprete the story as true, then he is lying.

 

[dukifluff]

depends if the person it is told to believes it

 

[Adriac]

I am lying if I present true information in a deceptive manner. Conversely, I am not lying if I present false information which I wrongly believe to be true.

The logical outcome of this is obvious.

 

[sister_maynard]

Fiction isn't lying: deception is all in the presentation. If someone adds false material to a work of nonfiction and presents it as the truth, they're lying. If they pretend that fiction is the truth, they're lying. Fiction is a collection of stories about things that never happened, and people know that when they read it.

 

[Joykins]

Speaking of fiction that is presented as true, William Golding actually did sucker a whole lot of people into believing that there was a book called _The Princess Bride_ by S. Morgenstern and that he was presenting the abridged version of it...

 

[ReverendDG]

It really is only lying if the intent is to decieve people into harm.

I think we tend to view things in black and white way too much, does telling someone they don't look fat in something and it makes them happy, a lie?

i know many texts that say "any lie is wrong!", but a lot of poeple don't realize is those people back then thought lies would physcially harm you or kill you even.
namely demons and such
we know now that telling something that isn't true to someone to make them feel better, will not harm us or the person.

but maybe thats my reletivism talking

 

[Adriac]

It really is only lying if the intent is to decieve people into harm.

I think we tend to view things in black and white way too much, does telling someone they don't look fat in something and it makes them happy, a lie?

Well, yeah, it is. Knowingly presenting false information as true is lying, regardless of intention. This does not imply that all lies are wrong, however.

(Although, arguably, misleading someone as to their appearance could well be more harmful in the long run.)

 

[uberd00b]

In my opinion lying is saying something with the intent to deceive.

Also a story that is not factual can contain a message which is true.

 

[sister_maynard]

Speaking of fiction that is presented as true, William Golding actually did sucker a whole lot of people into believing that there was a book called _The Princess Bride_ by S. Morgenstern and that he was presenting the abridged version of it...

I remember that- it was pretty funny. Still, Golding's book was presented as fiction and you really have to take it with a grain of salt. Couldn't people figure out that Morgenstern's name would have been somewhere on the copyright page if Golding was merely abridging it?