Thursday, March 18, 2010
Deception and Delusion
I have just completed The Land of Marvels by Barry Unsworth, a novel set in March, 1914 in the area that is now Iraq. Oil interests, Ottomans, German and British governments, and a monomaniacal archaeologist conspire for their interests. All but two of the characters engage in conscious deception and self-delusion, which is maintained by some deception of others as well. This leads me to muse whether self-delusion necessarily requires deception of others - pretense, exaggeration of accomplishments, concealment of truths dissonant with the delusion, or even just plain lies. Additionally, is the reverse true? Does habitual deception require some self-delusion to be maintained?
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Which of us would be judged free of self-delusion or habitual deception if we were judged frankly and undiplomatically by our peers? But social coherence requires that we not blurt out such judgments. Besides, self-delusion is the engine of optimism? We tell ourselves that we can improve ourselves and our lives just by refraining from ....., which we somehow never get around to doing. Aw, who wants to be perfect anyway?
ReplyDeleteIsn't it really a matter of degree? At what stage of deceiving others does self-delusion become a negative?
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