Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Yesterday, I blogged about ethics and how truthfulness plays an integral part in that.  Today, I thought I go a step further and try to outline the difference between honesty and truth.  In yesterday’s example, I cited how, when asked by an oversized woman if a dress she tried on made her rear look large, the man, taking time to think through the loaded question, responded with honesty by saying, no, the dress did not make her rear look large.  What he kept to himself was that her rear was large by itself.  So, even though he told the truth, the man wasn’t being completely honest. 

The Webster’s dictionary defines honesty as: showing fairness, and sincerity; straightforwardness; free from deceit; being what it seems; genuine; pure (to give honest measure); frank and open (an honest face).  Based on this definition, the man was mostly honest when responding to the woman’s query about her dress.  And that’s okay—the fact that he held back some facts. 

It was obvious the woman was aware of her being oversized.  The man didn’t need to rub that in her face.  So instead, he did the kind thing and told her the truth—his perception of it.  Now, had the woman, being oversized, attempted to squeeze herself into a skin-tight dress, causing herself to bulge and exhibit rolls like an abused tube of toothpaste, it would have been kinder for the man to suggest that she might opt to wear another dress so as not to embarrass herself.

This brings me to Webster’s definition of truth, which is as follows: the quality or state of being true; loyalty; trustworthiness; sincerity; genuineness; honesty; the quality of being in accordance with experience, facts, or reality.  Again using the example of the man and woman, though the man did bend the facts, his intent was pure, genuine and honest with him wanting to make the woman feel good about herself. 

In the example, the man maintained an honest intent even though he omitted certain facts.  Did that hurt the woman?  No.  Could it have?  No.  Did it help boost her self-esteem and make her walk with more of a joyful bounce to her step?  Probably.

I like to think of honesty as the model that encompasses factual ethics while truth is how folks perceive those facts.  As with the man and woman, there are times it may be appropriate and even kinder to “bend” facts to reflect the truth of a situation, at least your perception of it.  But there are other times when bending the facts, misleading a person around them or omitting them all together can prove detrimental.  In this case, not only is it unkind to alter the honesty of a situation with your perceived truth, it can yield disastrous results.

At first glance, Webster’s definitions of honesty and truth seem rather similar.  And on the surface, they are.  But, once one begins to reflect on them, the differences become clear.  
Perhaps an easier way to differentiate between honesty and truth is to look at synonyms used for each.  Synonyms for honesty include: integrity, uprightness, honorableness, honor, morality, morals, ethics, principles and virtue.  On the flip side, synonyms for truth include: veracity, truthfulness, sincerity, candor, honesty, accuracy and correctness.  Comparing the list of synonyms, it becomes clear that honesty is steeped heavily in ethics and morals, while truth encompasses one’s perception of any given situation as honestly as they can retell it.