The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson
Containing His Articles, Observations, Thoughts, Meanderings,
and some would say Wisdom (and some would say not).
Lies and Beliefs
Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics
Benjamin Disraeli once famously said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." However, there are actually four kinds of lies: mistakes, lies, damned lies, and statistics.
- Mistakes are when you have said something that you believe to be true, but later discover it was untrue. After the discovery of your mistake, you have a moral responsibility to correct the record with those who you had misinformed.
- Lies make the world go around. They are told to protect the feeling of others or to prevent embarrassment to ourselves. They should only be told if no harm comes from them. Otherwise, they will become Dammed Lies.
- Damned Lies are told to gain an advantage for ourselves or to demonize, denigrate, or disparage another. They are despicable, and when they are discovered the Damned Liar should be roundly condemned.
- Statistics are covered in my Articles "Oh What A Tangled Web We Weave" and "Public Polling", and I will direct you to these observations for further thoughts on this subject.
You should keep this in mind when someone claims another is a liar, and base your judgment on the person telling a lie on what type of lie they told.
The corollary to this statement is:
Just because you believe something to be true does not make it true.
As I have often said in my Chirps and Articles:
"Just because you
'believe' something to be true or false does not mean that you
'know' something is true or false, and just because someone says
it is true or false does not make it true or false."
- Mark Dawson
We all have our beliefs based on our knowledge and experience. But our knowledge and experience can be incorrect or incomplete. In examining our beliefs we should always keep in mind the words of wisdom of Benjamin Franklin:
- Benjamin Franklin
"It is therefore that the older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."
- Benjamin Franklin
"For having lived long, I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information, or fuller consideration, to change opinions even on important subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise."
- Benjamin Franklin
Always doubt your own infallibility, pay attention to more knowledgeable people, and be willing to change your mind or opinion based on better information or fuller consideration. Since reading the Benjamin Franklin quotes above, I have tried to make it a point to follow this wisdom. You should also ask yourself and others what the repercussions of being wrong — or right — are, because repercussions are important in determining the best course of action. I often ask myself what if I am wrong and what the repercussions would be if I were wrong. I also ask myself the opposite — what if I were right and what the repercussions of my being right would be. I then began asking the same questions about other people's opinions and actions. I have found this very helpful in trying to determine the truth, forming an opinion, and determining the best course of action.
Perhaps if we all did this, it would help us form sound opinions and make better judgments. You should also ask others what are the consequences are of their being wrong — or of being right. In doing so, keep in mind the words of a great American writer, humorist, and essayist:
“It ain’t what you
don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure
that just ain’t so.”
- Mark Twain
He has also said:
“When I was
sixteen I thought that my father was the dumbest most ignorant man
in the world. And when I turned twenty I was amazed how much he
had learned in four short years.”
- Mark Twain
Most of us learn as we mature, and our knowledge and experience increase even as we become senior citizens. You should keep this in mind throughout your life. As to the knowledge and experiences of youth I have written on this subject in my article “The Cult of Youth”.