Special Glossary

These definitions are for the purpose of understanding how I am typically using these terms within the context of this work. This might be because I am referring to a specific subset of definitions or implications associated with a term, or because I’m referencing a frequently used metaphor, or because I’m using the literal definition of the word, even if colloquially, people might not understand that that’s what that word means. Whatever the cause or context, defining terms is critical to reaching understanding of each other, so this is where we do that.

Deceit

Any intentional act whose purpose is to cause someone else to believe something that you know (or at least believe) to be false. Note that this covers white lies, lies of omission, or even less than the whole truth. If your intent is to cause the person to believe something untrue, it’s deceit, even if you say nothing. It does not, however, include genuine misunderstandings or misspeaks, even if the end result is that someone else believes an untruth. It’s all about the intent.

Ethical

A particular choice is ethical if it follows a principle or set of principles that result in the common good. That is, if everyone followed this rule, then everyone would be better off. This is differentiated from morality (see below). For example, Driving on the correct side of the road is ethical, but not moral. Even though it might be more convenient to my route to drive on the wrong side of the road and ignore traffic signs, we all benefit by agreeing to a certain etiquette and adhering to it. Of course, the concept of “benefit” can be subjective, which is why the word “ethical” has such a fuzzy boundary.

Lies

Refers to anything that you believe in your belief system that is not true and which was - at some point, by someone - constructed as an intentionally untrue statement. It’s important to distinguish that in this sense, it’s possible for you to speak out lies, without yourself being deceitful, because you’re speaking what you think is true, even if it isn’t.

Logical

Logic is the math of ideas. It is a well-defined discipline and way of both thinking and expressing your thoughts, with very specific, written rules, just like any other mathematical discipline. Something is logical if it follows the rules of logic. This is important, because “logical” is often confused with being “true” “rational” “scientific” “emotionally cold” or “smart.” It is none of those things, even though it may be frequently found side by side with those characteristics.

Moral

Morality is a set of values or rules that are defined by a higher moral authority. More specifically, as opposed to “ethical”, the word “moral” has no meaning unless there is a defined standard to compare decisions/actions to. Before you can argue with someone about whether their actions are moral or not, you must first both agree on a standard of morality, whether that be a physical book like the Koran or Bible, or Taoist principles, or just “whatever God wants.” There must be a standard to compare against before you can determine whether something is moral or not. And comparing an action against different moral standards will often result in differing conclusions as to its morality.

Wishful thinking

Sometimes people use the term “wishful thinking” to just describe wishing something was true that is not or can not be true. That’s not an accurate use of the term, I don’t believe. Wishful thinking is when you believe the thing that you wish to be true instead of what the evidence and rational thought tells you is true: for example, not accepting that your girlfriend is cheating on you, even though it’s pretty obvious she is. It is a common and seductive trap because it makes us feel better emotionally at the expense of making us less able to view and predict the world correctly.