Lying: An Augustinian Theology of Duplicity

by Paul J. Griffiths

Overview

Most people would agree that compulsive lying is a "sickness." In his provocative Lying, Paul Griffiths suggests that consistent truth telling might evoke a similar response. After all, isn't unremitting honesty often associated with stupidity, insanity, and fanatical sainthood?

Drawing from Augustine's writings, and contrasting them with the work of other Christian and non-Christian thinkers, Griffiths deals with the two great questions concerning lying: What is it to lie? When, if ever, should or may a lie be told? Examining Augustine's answers to these questions, Griffiths grapples with the difficulty of those answers while rendering them more accessible. With rhetorical savvy Augustine himself would applaud, Griffiths aims to "seduce" rather than argue his readers into agreement with Augustine. Augustine's historically significant, characteristically Christian, and undeniably radical thoughts on lying ignite Griffiths's searching discussion of this challenging and crucial topic.

Marvelously erudite and energetic, Lying will draw Augustine enthusiasts, students of ethics, and anyone who is committed to living a more honest life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781587430862
Publisher:	Brazos Press
Publication date:	06/01/2004
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Paul J. Griffiths is Warren Professor of Catholic Theology at Duke Divinity School and the author of the much-acclaimed Christianity through Non-Christian Eyes.

Table of Contents

	Acknowledgments	9
	Introduction	11
Part 1	Augustine on the Lie	23
1	Lying	25
2	Being	41
3	Sinning	55
4	Speaking	73
5	Disowning	85
6	Storytelling	101
Part 2	Augustinian Readings	111
7	Plato	113
8	Aristotle	123
9	Chrysostom	133
10	Jerome	145
11	Cassian	155
12	Aquinas	171
13	Kant	185
14	Newman	199
15	Nietzsche	211
Part 3	The Community of Truth	223
	Notes	233

Editorial Reviews

According to Griffiths (Catholic studies, Univ. of Illinois, Chicago; Religious Reading), St. Augustine provided the first fully Christian position on lying and one of the first truly systematic examinations of the subject in Western thought. The uniqueness of his argument rests on an ontological rather than a moral argument against lying. He argues that to lie knowingly, however morally justifiable it may seem to be, is to rupture the image of God in man and is therefore always sinful. The first part of this scholarly work carefully expounds Augustine's understanding of the lie in five chapters: "Lying," "Being," "Sinning," "Disowning," and "Storytelling." Part 2 examines the positions of other philosophers, including Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Kant, and Nietzsche, "through the spectacles of the Augustinian view." The final section looks briefly at the social implications of a nonlying community. This is an excellent piece of scholarship that will intrigue anyone interested in the issues of morality and ethics, though it may be over the heads of the general public. Recommendsed for academic and large public libraries with reader interest.-C. Robert Nixon, M.L.S., Lafayette, IN Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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