I was thinking, if someone took a lie detector test and told a lie whilist beliving it was true would he/she pass? I think they would, that got me to think okay then, when is a lie a lie? If we believe in something (Religion, politics, Superstitions..etc) then how can it be a lie, even if it isn't true? Is it only a lie if you choose to believe that "Event" is dishonest? It may be a stupid question but I open up this discussion for you to decide and talk about. So, Discuss:
I don't think this is a stupid question. This is actually something of which I've never thought before. I bet this will get a lot of discussion. I think it's obvious to say, though, a lie is a lie when you absolutely know for a fact it's not true. For example, if you're painting your bedroom walls powder blue and you tell someone you're painting them red, you're probably lying unless you're color blind or something (but then again, you can read the name of the color on the paint bucket, most likely). You're right, though. When it comes to certain things such as politics and religion, there is no such thing as a lie. It's all a beliefs system, so to say it's a lie isn't accurate in the slightest sense of the word. So I'd bet a person would pass a lie detector test if they absolutely believed what they knew (or thought they knew) was the truth, unless, as I said, they absolutely knew it was a lie in the first place.
It's a lie if you for sure, it is not true. So lets say you...Brutalize someone with Lasers, But you didn't know it would infact cause cancer for the victim and rather you thought you'd paint them red because the laser was red and 3 inches radius light. A few days later the victim dies of prolapse and shock, and the police are interrogating you. Given the lie detector test, if you truly believe that it wouldn't have killed the poor victim, who was only 13 years old in junior high school and the parents were gravely depressed over the death of their only one child and more-so upset over the fact that they couldn't do much except jail the jerk who didn't think lasers were terribly dangerous. Then the while the police were interrogating you, they'd really think your fucked up due to the fact that you caused a prolapse on someone and meant no harm; The police would arrest you and probably assign you a school program which taught you right and wrong. You get what I mean Gan? Lasers are metal and brutal, use them more often.
It works based on the idea that if you lie, your heart rate goes up. But if you don't think you're lying, your heart rate won't increase. Therefore it won't detect the 'lie'.
And what if you choose to believe that lying is a harmless, self-confident non-wrong thing to do. In other words you don't feel guilt what so ever for lying. And that if you believe that it's not harmful and an okay thing do to and it doesnt effect anyone. what would the lie detector detect?
It'd pick up your lie. 'cos you would be afraid your lie would be detected, your heart rate would rise.
I see, do you have to be afraid that the lie dector would dectect it? Do they give you some drug that makes it that way..
Depending upon your composure when you're undergoing tests with a polygraph machine, you could easily fool the machine into thinking you're telling the God's-honest truth so long as you remain calm, cool and collected.
A polygraph measures a bunch of different variables like your pulse, blood pressure, and other skin oriented factors. It is possible to fool it, but like Will said, I imagine you'd have to be very good at keeping your composure in a tense situation to pull it off.