Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Re: What a dittohead

A lie implies a deliberate intent to deceive...
Larry J — (archived)

as in "I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinski."

From the Merriam-Webster online dictionary:

Main Entry: 4lie
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English lige, lie, from Old English lyge; akin to Old High German lugI, Old English lEogan to lie
Date: before 12th century
1 a : an assertion of something known or believed by the speaker to be untrue with intent to deceive b : an untrue or inaccurate statement that may or may not be believed true by the speaker
2 : something that misleads or deceives
3 : a charge of lying

On the other hand, anyone can say something they believe to be true that really isn't. They aren't intending to deceive, they're just mistaken. In this case, Rush was clearly wrong but I doubt he intentionally lied about the photo.

Put it another way, have you ever stated something that turned out not to be true? If so, would we be justified in calling you a liar? Would you consider that fair and reasonable? Perhaps, but that seems rather harsh to me.

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