Professional Liars
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Alan Ryan's article "Professional Liars" explores the idea that some people have jobs that require them to tell credible lies. In particular, he explores the professions of doctor, lawyer, and politician. Essentially, Ryan argues that public trust in these professions requires a truth-telling narrative that may sometimes rely on a well-told lie. He does not, however, actually suggest that professionals should lie. Rather, he argues that professionals should frame the truth in a narrative that understands the society and culture it addresses as a way of strengthening and supporting that culture. Ultimately, he contends that people need to believe that they are being told the "best truth" for any of the three explored systems - medical, legal and political - to function.Ryan notes that there are many situations where people tell lies. He notes, in particular, the case of a wife who tells her husband she loves his new suit when, if she were honest, she would tell him she finds the suit hideous (Ryan 734). Ryan compares the reaction to such a lie of nonsevere (relational) and severe moralists. Nonsevere moralists would accept the wife's "white lie" as a proper action in furtherance of the goal of strengthening the marriage. On the other hand, severe moralists would argue that a marriage that relied on such lies for its strength is not worth them (Ryan 734). Seemingly, therefore, in the case of doctors, for example, nonsevere moralists would accept a doctor's
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tors to frame the story of their malfunctioning bodies into a narrative that they can use to frame their lives with such malfunctioning bodies.
Thus, Ryan argues that patients, in fact, seek a "co-conspiracy" with their doctors (Ryan 740). He contends that doctors' obligation to the truth must be framed around this understanding. Consequently, he states baldly that doctors may be obligated to tell "well-told lies" to frame the patients' narratives in a manner that will allow the patient to understand and incorporate the truth (Ryan 740). Despite his use of the word "lies," however, one could argue that Ryan is not, in fact, encouraging doctors to lie. Rather, as he states later, he advocates that this "narrative truth-telling" "does not affect the literal truth of the propositions [the doctor] might utter" (Ryan 745). Rather, the narrative merely frames the way in which the doctor utters the propositions.
Ryan is aware of the problems that such "narrative truth-telling" poses. For example, he notes that research into medical advances requires that doctors tell the truth about illnesses and cures they encounter (Ryan 744). He notes the importance to society of such advances and the consequent obligation upon doctors to help furt
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Approximate Word count = 1688
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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