WORLD:
Dear Ms. Gess, let's start with a question that Lukian von Samosata asked in a very similar way in his “Lies Friend”: What may be the reason that people are so great lovers of untruths or half-truths?
Nicola Gess:
Lukian has superstition in mind; but if you think of lies and half-truths in today's understanding, then you could perhaps say: people use un- or half-truths when they use them; they believe in them when they give them security, because they allow them to hold onto previous convictions, for example. You can also understand your question as follows: Why are people so fascinated by lies and half-truths? This is because we are much more free in the realm of falsehood than that of the facts. There are no limits to the imagination, even in the area of untruth. And of course half-truths sometimes have a certain entertainment value.