On the Decay of the Art of Lying

On the Decay of the Art of Lying

by Mark Twain, Paul Greenberg and Michael Coughlin

This is a combined booklet featuring three different pieces: On the Decay of the Art of Lying by Mark Twain, On the Decline of Lying by Paul Greenberg; and Ignorant of History by Michael Coughlin.  Their common theme: lying is an art.  Some practice it with a flare for creativity; others stumble through it not understanding “the difference between a truth and a lie were only a mater of wording and not a matter of essence”; while others just slather their lies about figuring people are either too stupid to catch them or too jaded to care.  As I note in the introduction, “Whether lying is a noble art must be left to your judgment. Though today’s prevaricators are decidedly of inferior stock, what saddens me is how willfully we have become goose-stepping acolytes to the wizards behind the curtain.”