On Lying: A look at truth and deceit through the lens of Sartre and Camus

Authors

  • Emily Howes Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65828/gz2esg72

Keywords:

Sartre, Camus, lying, bad faith, deception, meaning

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore lying, both in and out of the therapy room. It engages predominantly with the philosophies of Sartre and Camus, particularly their writings on deception and self-deception, to examine phenomenologically what it might mean existentially both to lie to ourselves and to others.

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References

Camus, A. (2006 [1956]). The Fall. Trans. Buss, R. London: Penguin Books.

Camus, A. (2005 [1942]). The Myth of Sisyphus. Trans. O'Brien, J. London: Penguin Books.

Camus, A. (2010). Notebooks: 1935-1941. Trans. Thody, P. New York, NY: Ivan R. Dee.

Camus, A. (2013 [1942]). The Outsider. Trans. Smith, S. London: Penguin Books.

Davis, C. (2007). Violence and ethics in Camus. In Hughes, E.J. (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Camus. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/ccol0521840481.009

Heidegger, M. (1962 [1927]). Being and Time. Trans. Macquarrie, J. & Robinson, E. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

Sartre, J.P. (1998 [1948]). Being and Nothingness. Trans. Barnes, H. London: Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203827123

Sartre, J.P. (2000 [1938]). Nausea. Trans. Baldick, R. London: Penguin Books.

UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) (2019). UKCP Code of Ethics and Professional Practice (2019). https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/media/bkjdm33f/ukcp-code-of-ethics-and-professional-practice-2019.pdf [Accessed 25th May 2025.]

Published

2026-01-01

Cite This Article

On Lying: A look at truth and deceit through the lens of Sartre and Camus. (2026). Existential Analysis: Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis, 37(1), 91-102. https://doi.org/10.65828/gz2esg72
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