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Investigates the nature of truth, ethics, and deception, offering a historical overview of philosophical positions in these areas, including those of Kant and St. Augustine, as well as covering issues related to truth in everyday life

Gr 6 Up-- Weiss respects her readers enough to confront them with the difficult questions of ethical behavior while giving the necessary background to make decisions. She uses anecdotes, research, and clear summations of various philosophies to present these questions. Animal as well as human behavior, motives as well as results are considered so that when Weiss arrives at the conclusion that honesty is the best policy, it is no longer a simplistic platitude. Nevertheless, her choices of incidents and quotations to include reflect her own convictions. Her central theme is best expressed in the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the philosopher who plotted against the Nazis , whose ``deceptions actually resulted in more harm than good.'' Would she say the same thing about those who hid Jews from the Nazis and lied to protect them? In combination with Meltzer's Rescue: the Story of How Gentiles Saved Jews in the Holocaust (Harper, 1988), this book could serve as the basis for a provocative discussion group. Indeed, Lies, Deception and the Truth is best approached as a stimulus to thought, not as a source of absolute answers. It can be easily booktalked from any of the anecdotes and covers questions previously addressed almost exclusively in fiction. It can also serve as an introduction to philosophy that makes the subject dramatic, not dry. --Carolyn Caywood, Virginia Beach Public Library Copyright 1989 Cahners Business Information.