What is a lie?

[Stupid is good, but lying is not.

Suppose I say "it's Y" when the fact is X.

Idiots if they assume that "the fact is Y."

Lying if you know "the fact is X" and knowingly say something different

when the fact is X.

Suppose someone who believes "the fact is Y" says "the fact is X."

This is an idiot lying, and as it turns out, it was true, but it's not forgivable.

Is the act of saying Y when you know the fact is X, when it would be better to say Y, a lie?

I think it's a lie, but we'll see.

[Truth is the best policy in the long run.

Better to say Y" is a personal interpretation, and there's no guarantee that it's correct.

The problem is that there is a consensus that "lying is a bad thing" and "what is a lie" varies from person to person.

Someone is going to think "of course we should do it" on this one as well.

Such people, on the other hand, can't accept being told that this is a kind of lie.

Those people think they're doing something good.

That "good" is based on personal subjectivity.

It clashes with the idea that "it's better to share the facts as they are, even if it makes waves in the short term."

Is it a lie if someone who knows the fact is X doesn't point out when they see someone who thinks the fact is Y?

This must be another lie.

If you don't realize someone is mistaken, or if you saw it but tried to point it out later and forgot all about it, you're an idiot.

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