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Lying: by Sam Harris | Chapter-to-Chapter Summary and Key Point Analysis
PLEASE NOTE: This is a summary and analysis of the book and not the original book.
From the best selling book "Lying" by Sam Harris, Key Point Breakdowns has analyzed this book and broke down the main ideas for a quick and easy to read format for the Kindle. Learning from the well respected neuroscientist, Sam Harris, argues that we can drastically improve our lifestyles and societies, simplify conflicts, and live freely by telling the truth in situations where majority of people often lie. We have analyzed everything for Harris' audience so readers can utilize his techniques and key ideas within 15 minutes.
Warning: Please note that this is an independent addition to "Lying" that supplements your understanding to the original book. Be sure to purchase the original copy before buying this unofficial summary and analysis. The use of this analysis is meant to fill any gaps you may have had during reading and enhances your reading experience.
This book takes a creative look at a few tools and know-hows of what truth telling can do in the world we live in today.
Within This 15-Minute Analysis, You Will Learn Results Of Lying And You Will Understand:
The Summary Of The Entire Book Lying During Conflicts Catostrophes That Will Occur And How To Avoid Them Simplicity Of Living In A Truthful World And much, much more!
Download your copy today!
From the best selling book "Lying" by Sam Harris, Key Point Breakdowns has analyzed this book and broke down the main ideas for a quick and easy to read format for the Kindle. Learning from the well respected neuroscientist, Sam Harris, argues that we can drastically improve our lifestyles and societies, simplify conflicts, and live freely by telling the truth in situations where majority of people often lie. We have analyzed everything for Harris' audience so readers can utilize his techniques and key ideas within 15 minutes.
Warning: Please note that this is an independent addition to "Lying" that supplements your understanding to the original book. Be sure to purchase the original copy before buying this unofficial summary and analysis. The use of this analysis is meant to fill any gaps you may have had during reading and enhances your reading experience.
This book takes a creative look at a few tools and know-hows of what truth telling can do in the world we live in today.
Within This 15-Minute Analysis, You Will Learn Results Of Lying And You Will Understand:
The Summary Of The Entire Book Lying During Conflicts Catostrophes That Will Occur And How To Avoid Them Simplicity Of Living In A Truthful World And much, much more!
Download your copy today!
19 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 5, 2015
4 people are currently reading
529 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 30, 2023
Two weeks ago I was listening to one of my go-to podcasts, The School of Greatness, and Sam Harris was on. I've listened to him speak before and find him a fascinating and insightful person but, in that episode, he said something that really struck a cord with me. He talked of a class he took in his late teens, a discussion about if it's ethical to lie. He found the teacher's explanations to every situation possible and the discussions that took place in that class so profound, that he decided to never lie again.
The truth is, most of us lie. Some more than others. I always considered myself a rather honest person, but in retrospect I was considering myself an 'honest person' with regard to situations where I was honest. Funny how that works, right? For, when I was honest, I wouldn't sugar coat anything. Or I would share things that were my truth, even if they were controversial or of the minority. The reality was... I still lied, all the time. I embellished with lies. If there was something I didn't want to do, I made up a reason, instead of speaking the truth. If asked my honest opinion about something, but I deemed the person too fragile for my honest answer, I'd lie. I lied when it came to any wrong doing I did. I lied to my boss. I lied... all the time. It's no wonder that those who knew I did, when I made the conscious choice of being honest, they wouldn't believe me and call me a lier. I'm starting to sound like a real awful person but really, so many of us lie all the time. I have just come to a very clear realization of it. It wasn't that I didn't know I was doing it but I didn't comprehend the consequences of doing it, both to me and others, and moreso I didn't know what I was communicating by doing it. Hearing Sam say that, I decided in that moment, I too would never lie again... but I was still intrigued to learn more, which led me to this book.
While this book can be read in a matter of an hour or two, and doesn't dive deep into the topic of lying, it goes far enough to give anyone reason to reconsider making the decision to lie.
To start with, Sam addresses the benefits of being honest. He says that 'honesty is a gift we can give to others.' Because by being honest we are giving them our true selves. It simplifies things, cutting right to it and leaving little to prepare for or remember. It says, here I am, take me or leave me. Honesty also says, I trust that you can handle it and I want to give you the opportunity to grow, that I too would want. Being honest might come with a short-term discomfort, but it dispels the wide range of long-term problems that come with lying.
It can take time to feel comfortable cancelling plans, declining invitations or giving honest critiques but the benefits far outweigh that discomfort. The benefits of honesty leave you with deeper relationships and people in your life that want you as you are, not a tale told to 'protect' who you really are, flaws and all, or to 'protect' your underestimation of the person's capability of receiving your honesty. Being honest, as I've experienced these past couple of weeks, holds a mirror up to your life and, as Sam says, "a commitment to telling the truth requires that one pay attention to what the truth is in every moment."
But what about 'white lies?' Well, they are still lies. Not only that but they come with a degree of harm, because we take away the opportunity to grow by not giving someone that reality. Instead they may act on our falsehoods, causing more harm to them and others. As Sam states, 'White lies are false encouragement. False encouragement is a kind of theft: it steals time, energy, and motivation a person could put toward some other purpose.' To lie is to infringe upon the freedom of the person receiving our lie.
Then there is insincere praise. By offering insincere praise, we are treating others like children, failing to prepare them for encounters where they will be viewed as adults. Again, we take away their opportunity to grow, we break that bound of trust and undermine the authenticity of the relationship.
Another topic that intrigued me, in the realm of lying, is keeping secrets. Telling someone 'hey, promise not to tell anyone this...' is putting a burden on that person. At a minimum they have to remember what not to say, which may lead to clumsy attempts at deception. Considering that, if friends, it seems a rather unkind thing to do, to pass such a burden onto a friend no matter the weight. It's still weight. For now, that person can be found in a predicament of breaking the trust with their friend or with whomever is asking them the truth, which strips them of the opportunity to be true. More often than not, that secret doesn't need to be told and will be told with time regardless.
Sam doesn't even shy away from topics that involve life or death, with really interesting perspectives. There are two areas we lie that he doesn't cover. The first being lying to surprise. Ie a surprise birthday party. In truth, more often than not, we can still surprise while avoiding the act of lying.
The other topic, one that likely could have a book written on its own (and likely has), is the lying we do to ourselves. This might be the greatest theft. Telling ourselves things about ourselves that aren't true, deprive us of a chance to face what's real and grow from it, to make real change.
I don't know what I find more eye opening, some of Sam's insights or all I've learned having put it into practice these past two weeks. Though I enjoyed this little book very much, I would venter it's the latter. In these two weeks I have embodied sincerity, authenticity, integrity, and mutual understanding to its maximum. I have turned down engagements I rather not do, for things that excite me more, thus valuing my time and theirs. I have had a deeper look at my actions because, now, I don't have the option of creating an 'out' vis-a-vie a lie. It is so incredibly freeing, a weightless feeling. I hope for more to consider what happens when they lie, what it's really doing and communicating. What a world we lived in if we sat in our authenticity all the time, the relationships we'd have and even the ones we won't - that we are better off without. I would urge all to consider the same commitment. The benefits are boundless.
The truth is, most of us lie. Some more than others. I always considered myself a rather honest person, but in retrospect I was considering myself an 'honest person' with regard to situations where I was honest. Funny how that works, right? For, when I was honest, I wouldn't sugar coat anything. Or I would share things that were my truth, even if they were controversial or of the minority. The reality was... I still lied, all the time. I embellished with lies. If there was something I didn't want to do, I made up a reason, instead of speaking the truth. If asked my honest opinion about something, but I deemed the person too fragile for my honest answer, I'd lie. I lied when it came to any wrong doing I did. I lied to my boss. I lied... all the time. It's no wonder that those who knew I did, when I made the conscious choice of being honest, they wouldn't believe me and call me a lier. I'm starting to sound like a real awful person but really, so many of us lie all the time. I have just come to a very clear realization of it. It wasn't that I didn't know I was doing it but I didn't comprehend the consequences of doing it, both to me and others, and moreso I didn't know what I was communicating by doing it. Hearing Sam say that, I decided in that moment, I too would never lie again... but I was still intrigued to learn more, which led me to this book.
While this book can be read in a matter of an hour or two, and doesn't dive deep into the topic of lying, it goes far enough to give anyone reason to reconsider making the decision to lie.
To start with, Sam addresses the benefits of being honest. He says that 'honesty is a gift we can give to others.' Because by being honest we are giving them our true selves. It simplifies things, cutting right to it and leaving little to prepare for or remember. It says, here I am, take me or leave me. Honesty also says, I trust that you can handle it and I want to give you the opportunity to grow, that I too would want. Being honest might come with a short-term discomfort, but it dispels the wide range of long-term problems that come with lying.
It can take time to feel comfortable cancelling plans, declining invitations or giving honest critiques but the benefits far outweigh that discomfort. The benefits of honesty leave you with deeper relationships and people in your life that want you as you are, not a tale told to 'protect' who you really are, flaws and all, or to 'protect' your underestimation of the person's capability of receiving your honesty. Being honest, as I've experienced these past couple of weeks, holds a mirror up to your life and, as Sam says, "a commitment to telling the truth requires that one pay attention to what the truth is in every moment."
But what about 'white lies?' Well, they are still lies. Not only that but they come with a degree of harm, because we take away the opportunity to grow by not giving someone that reality. Instead they may act on our falsehoods, causing more harm to them and others. As Sam states, 'White lies are false encouragement. False encouragement is a kind of theft: it steals time, energy, and motivation a person could put toward some other purpose.' To lie is to infringe upon the freedom of the person receiving our lie.
Then there is insincere praise. By offering insincere praise, we are treating others like children, failing to prepare them for encounters where they will be viewed as adults. Again, we take away their opportunity to grow, we break that bound of trust and undermine the authenticity of the relationship.
Another topic that intrigued me, in the realm of lying, is keeping secrets. Telling someone 'hey, promise not to tell anyone this...' is putting a burden on that person. At a minimum they have to remember what not to say, which may lead to clumsy attempts at deception. Considering that, if friends, it seems a rather unkind thing to do, to pass such a burden onto a friend no matter the weight. It's still weight. For now, that person can be found in a predicament of breaking the trust with their friend or with whomever is asking them the truth, which strips them of the opportunity to be true. More often than not, that secret doesn't need to be told and will be told with time regardless.
Sam doesn't even shy away from topics that involve life or death, with really interesting perspectives. There are two areas we lie that he doesn't cover. The first being lying to surprise. Ie a surprise birthday party. In truth, more often than not, we can still surprise while avoiding the act of lying.
The other topic, one that likely could have a book written on its own (and likely has), is the lying we do to ourselves. This might be the greatest theft. Telling ourselves things about ourselves that aren't true, deprive us of a chance to face what's real and grow from it, to make real change.
I don't know what I find more eye opening, some of Sam's insights or all I've learned having put it into practice these past two weeks. Though I enjoyed this little book very much, I would venter it's the latter. In these two weeks I have embodied sincerity, authenticity, integrity, and mutual understanding to its maximum. I have turned down engagements I rather not do, for things that excite me more, thus valuing my time and theirs. I have had a deeper look at my actions because, now, I don't have the option of creating an 'out' vis-a-vie a lie. It is so incredibly freeing, a weightless feeling. I hope for more to consider what happens when they lie, what it's really doing and communicating. What a world we lived in if we sat in our authenticity all the time, the relationships we'd have and even the ones we won't - that we are better off without. I would urge all to consider the same commitment. The benefits are boundless.
March 25, 2020
This book is very one dimensional. The central point is a good one - lying (including small lies) is rarely a good idea and Harris gives many examples to back up his point - eg telling someone they look good in their clothes when they don’t might make them feel better in the moment but doesn’t help them in the long run and won’t help them trust you.
But that’s the only point the book makes and Harris fails to explore the limit cases - eg the trade off with kindness - if I have a big date then maybe it’s better to tell me I look great when I don’t so I go out with high confidence.
But that’s the only point the book makes and Harris fails to explore the limit cases - eg the trade off with kindness - if I have a big date then maybe it’s better to tell me I look great when I don’t so I go out with high confidence.
July 28, 2024
I disagree with the author that people should never lie. To not lie ever may cause you to hurt someone’s feelings unnecessarily. For instance, I don’t need to be told that my skin has become creepy looking and that I am getting old. This is a fact that I am already aware of and for someone to point it out to me because they didn’t want to lie is unnecessary.
I do believe one should be honest, but one should also should be empathetic.
There are various degrees of “lying“ with so many vast situations that to just have a blanket policy to not lie is unrealistic and callus. B
I do believe one should be honest, but one should also should be empathetic.
There are various degrees of “lying“ with so many vast situations that to just have a blanket policy to not lie is unrealistic and callus. B
June 26, 2021
A book about lying by a neuroscientist could be an interesting read, however there is no neuroscience in this book. Instead there are only the self-righteous ramblings of someone who believes he never tells lies and thinks he can shout down from his high horse telling other people what to do. Although at one point in the book he discloses his own dishonesty. Don't waste you time reading the ramblings of this holier-than-thou buffoon.
August 17, 2020
This is one of those books that I think everyone should read
June 4, 2021
It just says don't lie, it's not worth it. Even if your intentions on lying about anything are good (white lies). Lying erodes your trust and relationship with individuals or groups.
March 5, 2022
Quick read and good arguments to always tell the truth. 😊
February 17, 2024
Sam is a fountain of nuance in every domain he touches. However, if you are going to spend 8 hours on him, skip this book and listen to a few of his podcasts on:
- effective altruism
- what do jihadists actually want?
- can we pull back from the brink?
- general topics on modern civilisation and how were move forward together
At least the book shows you his moral foundation.
- effective altruism
- what do jihadists actually want?
- can we pull back from the brink?
- general topics on modern civilisation and how were move forward together
At least the book shows you his moral foundation.
September 6, 2024
Short book - more like an extended essay. Worth reading.
October 29, 2024
Great book about why you should not lie. This book makes you much more aware of the small white lies you may tell on a daily basis and the impact they have on you and others.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews