Seán Moran watches a street con to find where deceiving is not lying.
https://philosophynow.org/issues/114/Paltering_In_Paris
Paltering In Paris
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marjoram_blues
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Re: Paltering In Paris
Regular column: 'Street Philosopher' by Sean Moran.
Includes: Photo of Paris pavement and punters being played by professional palterers. The game 'Cherchez La Femme en Paris'; also, painting 'The Conjuror' by Hieronymous Bosch, another 'Finding the Lady' scam.
To illustrate the philosophical interest in: Street Scamming and The Ways We Lie and Lose Money.
According to Moran, ' To palter is to lead or allow another person wrongly to believe that something is the case without actually lying to them'.
According to the Merriam Webster: 1. to act insincerely, or deceitfully: Equivocate 2. to haggle. Synonyms: lie, prevaricate, fib : to tell an untruth.
So, to 'lying' which Moran says paltering is not ( as per definition).
Moran makes the distinction between relatively harmless ( white lies ! So, still a lie by any other name ) and malicious types ( like the street scam).
He contrasts Aquinas: 'lying diminishes in gravity when a greater good is intended' with Kant, 'truth-telling is an exceptionless duty', adding 'Kant never married'. As we all laugh knowingly. However, I'm not sure that telling a wife that her bum looks good in that dress is the equivalent of ' the greater good' - for whom ?
And while we're on the subject of women - what's this about the search for the woman in Paris and being deceived by her tricky and sneaky hiding. Gaining money by 'depriving the wary of their money'. The search for love thwarted or the alluring promise of a paltering prostitute ?
An interesting article which shows us how street teams can 'manipulate our epistemic and ethical weaknesses'. Basically, the conclusion is that there are no winners if we apply the morality rules: ' a genuine innocent would not want to take money from an outwardly incompetent dealer. Rather, in all scams of this type, the mark is trapped by his own dishonourable motivation to benefit from someone else's perceived weakness' (p35).
Yet again, I have learned something new from the PN magazine: to palter.
And yet again, I look forward to this regular column - and Sean's street photography. Where to next ? Rome ?
Includes: Photo of Paris pavement and punters being played by professional palterers. The game 'Cherchez La Femme en Paris'; also, painting 'The Conjuror' by Hieronymous Bosch, another 'Finding the Lady' scam.
To illustrate the philosophical interest in: Street Scamming and The Ways We Lie and Lose Money.
According to Moran, ' To palter is to lead or allow another person wrongly to believe that something is the case without actually lying to them'.
According to the Merriam Webster: 1. to act insincerely, or deceitfully: Equivocate 2. to haggle. Synonyms: lie, prevaricate, fib : to tell an untruth.
So, to 'lying' which Moran says paltering is not ( as per definition).
Moran makes the distinction between relatively harmless ( white lies ! So, still a lie by any other name ) and malicious types ( like the street scam).
He contrasts Aquinas: 'lying diminishes in gravity when a greater good is intended' with Kant, 'truth-telling is an exceptionless duty', adding 'Kant never married'. As we all laugh knowingly. However, I'm not sure that telling a wife that her bum looks good in that dress is the equivalent of ' the greater good' - for whom ?
And while we're on the subject of women - what's this about the search for the woman in Paris and being deceived by her tricky and sneaky hiding. Gaining money by 'depriving the wary of their money'. The search for love thwarted or the alluring promise of a paltering prostitute ?
An interesting article which shows us how street teams can 'manipulate our epistemic and ethical weaknesses'. Basically, the conclusion is that there are no winners if we apply the morality rules: ' a genuine innocent would not want to take money from an outwardly incompetent dealer. Rather, in all scams of this type, the mark is trapped by his own dishonourable motivation to benefit from someone else's perceived weakness' (p35).
Yet again, I have learned something new from the PN magazine: to palter.
And yet again, I look forward to this regular column - and Sean's street photography. Where to next ? Rome ?