Lying to children

Reminder:  issues are in chronological order

• whether to have children
• which children to have
• how to have them
• who should have custody
• whether to impart gender
• whether to circumcise
• dealing with toddlers--with or without lies?
• dealing with teenagers--political rights, sexual rights?
• adult children (like you)--what do they owe their parents?

Lies we tell children

• for our own benefit: the elf on the shelf
• for the child's pleasure: Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy
• to protect the child:  bad dream spray

Position #1:  Lying is always wrong

• St. Augustine
• Immanuel Kant

 Position #2:  Lying is right or wrong depending on all of the consequences for everyone affected

• Utilitarians like John Stuart Mill

Position #3:  It's worse to lie to adults than to children

• Amy Kind (inspired by Grotius, Kant)
• Lies disempower other people:  "The lie deprives the victim of the ability to reason accurately about the possible courses of action that are open to them" (p. 37)
• Lies are worse, the more they disempower; children who can't reason aren't disempowered by lies; so lying to them is not as bad as lying to adults.