When Do Noble Lies Just Become Blatant Lies?
When Do Noble Lies Just Become Blatant Lies?
Story at-a-glance
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A noble lie is paternalistic, or those where the deceiver must make an assumption that lying serves the best interest. Fauci claims misinformation and lies he shared may have been to influence behavior
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Fauci’s first comments were that masks are not effective in the community, after which he recommended people wear one or even two masks; he stated the spread of the virus was unlike anything he’s seen before, but the varying severity of the illness he quotes are much like flu virus
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In a video from a Senate committee, Jim Jordan, D-Ohio, quickly illustrates the change in Fauci’s position over gain-of-function research in the last 18 months, from “it never happened” to “it would have been negligent not to fund the lab”
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Fauci has consistently been nudging up the percentage of people required to be vaccinated to achieve what he calls herd immunity. He started at 60% and currently believes it may need to reach 85%. “But I’m not going to say 90%” — right now, he says
The past 18 months has provided Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to the president of the U.S., ample opportunity to truthfully share information about an ongoing health situation. However, as his statements have been tracked, it appears he has not taken the higher path of truth that would have helped American’s make smart decisions.
Instead, he has engaged in what the daily online magazine Slate labeled “noble lies.” The writer asks this question: “Do we want public health officials to report facts and uncertainties transparently? Or do we want them to shape information?”1
Although this is a question only you can answer for yourself, Fauci’s inaccurate representation of the truth likely has a deeper meaning than what philosophers define as a noble lie. It may be difficult to untangle the reason behind the lies, but there are several theories as to why Fauci believes he can determine what is true and what is not.
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