As a General Rule, You Should Avoid the Fallacy of Nontruth

By

Anthony J. Fejfar, B.A., J.D., Esq., Coif

©Copyright 2010 by Anthony J. Fejfar

The Rules of Logic require that a person avoid a Logical Fallacy which is based

upon a Logical Contradiction. Now, based upon well accepted convention, and in order

to promote the Good of Order, and to avoid Chaos, it is assumed that in a conversation or

in a written communication, the person making the statement, orally or verbally, is telling

the truth. Truth is defined as that which is in accordance with a probable judgment of

fact, as to the existence of some idea or situation, typically confirmed by first hand sense

experience, internal experience, and well founded belief. A well founded belief is present

where a belief statement is made by a third party who you have judged to be a reliable

source of information, and where you judge, consistent with other well founded beliefs,

sense experience, and internal experience, that the original belief statement is probably

true. And, a probable judgment of fact is based upon experience, understanding

(including logic), judgment and reflection.

Given the foregoing, we can say that when a person makes a statement, we can say

that S is true. Now, if it turns out that the person is intentionally not telling the truth

with respect to S, then we can see that not S obtains. Therefore, it is logically apparent

that where a person intentionally does not tell the truth, then we have the following

syllogism, S and not S, which of course constitutes a logical contradiction, as is

therefore logically fallacious. Thus, we can conclude, logically, that it is logically

fallacious and irrational to lie, unless, an equitable exception applies based upon wisdom,
where the Good of Order is promoted by a person telling a “white lie,” to promote Higher

Values, such as Life, Liberty, Property, and the Pursuit of Happiness, and/or to oppose

base values. Thus, it would be permissible to lie to a Gestapo thug, and tell him that

there are no Resistance Fighters hidden anywhere in your house, when in fact there are.

Moreover, Higher Values include those Values which are in accordance with the

Individual Good. Thus, it is permissible to tell a “gray lie” in order to steal from a

materially rich person in order to prevent a disabled, poor person, from starving to death,

or freezing to death in cold weather. This, then is an important justification for a

graduated tax rate, where materially rich people are logically required to pay a greater

percentage of their income for income tax to support social benefit programs such as

good medical and dental treatment, and affordable education, and volunteer stipends for

the poor, the unemployed, and in some instances, even the middle class, who themselves

are often “house poor,” having hardly any money left over at the end of the month, and

thus are unable to afford recreation, family vacations, hobby equipment, restaurant

money, etc.