All lies are deceptions, but not all deceptions are lies
Lies are specific acts that are done, not acting is in itself not an act
Conservation of energy cannot be called an expenditure of energy
When people call something a “lie by omission” it’s an attempt to shift the blame wholly to the other person rather than deal with the fact that part of the blame belongs to themselves
My silence was not a lie; you guessed about reality, and I just didn’t correct you
You can still use it as a basis for future distrust and you can still use it as a reason to cut off or minimize future encounters
But it is not and should not be considered a malicious action against you as you would a lie
No, this is wrong. Withholding information is definitely a lie by omission and comes in many flavors.
Failure to report - Knowingly withholding information about a severe crime.
Obstruction of justice - Intentionally hiding or omitting details to mislead authority.
Accessory after the fact - Omitting or lying about information to avoid becoming an accessory to a crime
Material omission - Omitting crucial information in relation to a financial crime AKA fraud.
Your silence in these situations is most definitely a lie. I think you are stuck on only action being considered a lie, but inaction is considered a lie by omission in these situations. This is a legal definition, so please keep that in mind.
I would disagree that omission is not malicious; the intent of the omitter can be any reason. Perhaps not malicious in every case, but it could be as ill-meaning as any lie.
Disagree
All lies are deceptions, but not all deceptions are lies
Lies are specific acts that are done, not acting is in itself not an act
Conservation of energy cannot be called an expenditure of energy
When people call something a “lie by omission” it’s an attempt to shift the blame wholly to the other person rather than deal with the fact that part of the blame belongs to themselves
My silence was not a lie; you guessed about reality, and I just didn’t correct you
You can still use it as a basis for future distrust and you can still use it as a reason to cut off or minimize future encounters
But it is not and should not be considered a malicious action against you as you would a lie
No, this is wrong. Withholding information is definitely a lie by omission and comes in many flavors.
Failure to report - Knowingly withholding information about a severe crime.
Obstruction of justice - Intentionally hiding or omitting details to mislead authority.
Accessory after the fact - Omitting or lying about information to avoid becoming an accessory to a crime
Material omission - Omitting crucial information in relation to a financial crime AKA fraud.
Your silence in these situations is most definitely a lie. I think you are stuck on only action being considered a lie, but inaction is considered a lie by omission in these situations. This is a legal definition, so please keep that in mind.
This just feels like mental gymnastics to me
I would disagree that omission is not malicious; the intent of the omitter can be any reason. Perhaps not malicious in every case, but it could be as ill-meaning as any lie.
You can absolutely fail to disabuse people of incorrect notions for malicious reasons.