The Truth about Lying

In this forthright and fascinating study, Dr Stephen J. Costello, philosopher and logotherapist, takes us on a profound journey into the intricate and intriguing nature of the dynamics of lying. Drawing on philosophy, logical puzzles and Lacanian psychoanalysis, Costello investigates the types of lies we tell, the lies that include a good deal of truth, how and why children lie, the lies lovers tell, self-deception and much more. In the final section of the book Costello focuses in particular on how men and women lie in different ways. Men, he argues, lie in the guise of truth while women tell the truth in the guise of a lie. Men tend to be more direct while women are more deceptive. Men lie to create a better image of themselves, women lie to make others feel more comfortable. Provocative, while also frequently amusing, The Truth about Lying is a pithy primer on the act and art of lying. “This is an absolutely fascinating book . . . a quite extraordinary range of information . . . I can only encourage everyone to read it and thoroughly enjoy it as I did." – Ivor Browne, from the Foreword