Random question:
Jan. 10th, 2013 07:40 pmIf you randomly make something up to settle an argument or to get your way, and by sheer chance you happen to be correct, does it still constitute lying?
Like, consider all those signs swearing that the only reason you cannot wear shoes in this store is because of the big mean health department. The health department doesn't actually care, and the store owners don't have any clue whether it cares or not, they just want a way to back up what is really an arbitrary dress code. (Which is fine, they can have as many rules as they like in their own establishment.) But what if, by coincidence, they happened to be in the one tiny municipality that happened to have that rule? Even though they really ought to have known that they didn't know the law, is it still a lie if it's accidentally true?
Like, consider all those signs swearing that the only reason you cannot wear shoes in this store is because of the big mean health department. The health department doesn't actually care, and the store owners don't have any clue whether it cares or not, they just want a way to back up what is really an arbitrary dress code. (Which is fine, they can have as many rules as they like in their own establishment.) But what if, by coincidence, they happened to be in the one tiny municipality that happened to have that rule? Even though they really ought to have known that they didn't know the law, is it still a lie if it's accidentally true?