A
lie-to-children is an expression that describes the simplification of technical or difficult to understand material for consumption by children. The word "children" should not be taken literally, but as encompassing anyone in the process of learning about a given topic, regardless of age. It is itself a simplification of certain concepts in
philosophy of scienceThe philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, and implications of science. The field is defined by an interest in one of a set of "traditional" problems or an interest in central or foundational concerns in science...
.
Because life and its aspects can be extremely difficult to understand without
experienceExperience as a general concept comprises knowledge of or skill in or observation of some thing or some event gained through involvement in or exposure to that thing or event. The history of the word experience aligns it closely with the concept of experiment.The concept of experience generally...
, to present a full level of complexity to a student or child all at once can be overwhelming.
A
lie-to-children is an expression that describes the simplification of technical or difficult to understand material for consumption by children. The word "children" should not be taken literally, but as encompassing anyone in the process of learning about a given topic, regardless of age. It is itself a simplification of certain concepts in
philosophy of scienceThe philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, and implications of science. The field is defined by an interest in one of a set of "traditional" problems or an interest in central or foundational concerns in science...
.
Because life and its aspects can be extremely difficult to understand without
experienceExperience as a general concept comprises knowledge of or skill in or observation of some thing or some event gained through involvement in or exposure to that thing or event. The history of the word experience aligns it closely with the concept of experiment.The concept of experience generally...
, to present a full level of complexity to a student or child all at once can be overwhelming. Hence elementary explanations tend to be simple, concise, or simply "wrong" — but in a way that attempts to make the
lessonA lesson is a structured period of time where learning is intended to occur. It involves one or more students being taught by a teacher or instructor...
more understandable. Sometimes the lesson can be qualified, for example by claiming "this isn't technically true, but it's easier to understand". In retrospect the first explanation may be easy to understand for its inaccuracies, but it will be replaced with a more sophisticated explanation which is closer to "the truth". This "tender introduction" concept is an important aspect of
educationEducation in its broadest sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual...
.
Such statements are not usually intended as deceptions, and may, in fact, be true to a first approximation or within certain contexts. For example Newtonian mechanics, by modern standards, is factually incorrect (as it fails to take into account
relativityThe theory of relativity, or simply relativity, generally refers specifically to two theories of Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity...
or
quantum mechanicsQuantum mechanics is a set of principles describing the physical reality at the atomic level of matter and the subatomic . These descriptions include the simultaneous wave-like and particle-like behavior of both matter and radiation...
) but it is still a valuable and useful model in many situations.
Origin
The term appeared in the book
The Science of DiscworldThe Science of Discworld is a 1999 book by novelist Terry Pratchett and popular science writers Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen. Two sequels, The Science of Discworld II: The Globe and The Science of Discworld III: Darwin's Watch, have been written by the same authors.The book alternates between a...
,
co-authored and partly based on ideas created by
Terry PratchettSir Terence David John Pratchett, OBE , more commonly known as Terry Pratchett, is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
, and in
The Collapse of ChaosThe Collapse of Chaos: discovering simplicity in a complex world is a book about chaos theory written by biologist Jack Cohen and mathematician Ian Stewart....
and
Figments of RealityFigments of Reality: The Evolution of the Curious Mind is a book about the evolution of the intelligent and conscious human mind by biologist Jack Cohen and mathematician Ian Stewart....
, both by the other two co-authors of
The Science of Discworld,
Ian StewartIan Nicholas Stewart FRS is a professor of mathematics at the University of Warwick, England, and a widely known popular-science and science-fiction writer. He is the first recipient of the , awarded jointly by the LMS and the IMA for his work on promoting mathematics.-Biography:Stewart was born...
and
Jack CohenJack Cohen, FIBiol is a British reproductive biologist also known for his popular science books and involvement with science fiction.-Academic career:...
.
The definition given in
The Science of Discworld is as follows. "
A lie-to-children is a statement that is false, but which nevertheless leads the child's mind towards a more accurate explanation, one that the child will only be able to appreciate if it has been primed with the lie". The authors acknowledge that some people might dispute the applicability of the term
lie, while defending it on the grounds that "
it is for the best possible reasons, but it is still a lie".
The reference to children seems at first to be literal, as the authors use different phrases for cases that involve adult audiences (for example they say of themselves "
we belong to another, equally honorable profession: Liar-to-readers"). Later in the book, however, the term "lie-to-children" is used to include all examples of the pedagogical strategy, without reference to the age or composition of the audience. This inclusive usage is perhaps best understood as a
metonymicMetonymy is a figure of speech used in rhetoric in which a thing or concept is not called by its own name, but by the name of something intimately associated with that thing or concept. It comes from the , , "a change of name", from , , "after, beyond" and , , a suffix used to name figures of...
extension of the literal sense, and is in any case established through the authors' use of it.
Related concepts and aspects
The boundary is fuzzy between
widespread misconceptions versus lies-to-children. One significant difference is that genuine misconceptions are resistant to further instruction, and are often believed firmly (sometimes passionately) by adults. On the other hand, students will easily recognize and discard the lies-to-children as more advanced concepts are acquired. Another significant difference is that a lie-to-children will tend to be an approximation of the truth (e.g., acceleration due to gravity=10 m/s²) while a misconception will often simply be wrong (e.g. tongue taste map, coriolis-in-the-bathtub).
See also
- Naïve physics
Naïve physics or folk physics is the untrained human perception of basic physical phenomena. In the field of artificial intelligence the study of naïve physics is a part of the effort to formalize the common knowledge of human beings....
- Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction.Pedagogy is also sometimes referred to as the correct use of teaching strategies . For example, Paulo Freire referred to his method of teaching adults as "critical pedagogy"...
- White lie
- List of misconceptions
- Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
- Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny is a mythical character depicted as an anthropomorphic rabbit. In legend, the creature brings baskets filled with colored eggs, candy and toys to the homes of children on the night before Easter...
External links