Gordon John

Honesty is the best policy

John GORDON

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

Tagobar Larniskulus Wharf Borgax Fenigvisnoka. It was long name and an important title, and he was proud of them. The title meant something like "High Sheriff, Admiral of Fenigwisnok", and Fenigwisnok was a wealthy and significant planet in the Del empire. The title and name looked impressive on the documents, and there were a lot of documents to sign.

Tagobar himself was an excellent example of his breed, the embodiment of strength and pride. Like turtles on Earth, it had both an outer and an inner skeleton, though that was all that made it look like turtles. He looked like a man, a cross between a medieval knight in armor and a stocky rugby player dressed to go out on the field. He had the color of a well-cooked crab, and at the joints of the external skeleton it turned into a dark purple. The clothes consisted only of a short skirt, embroidered with intricate patterns and studded with sparkling precious stones. The insignia of his office was engraved in gold on the front and back armor, so that he could be recognized when he entered and when he left.

In short, he was a rather imposing figure, despite being only five feet two inches tall. As commander of his own starship, the Wharf, he had to seek out and explore planets suitable for colonization by the Del people. He's been working hard on this already. long years, following the Common Instruction exactly as a good leader should do.

And it was worth it. At one time, he found several good planets, and this was the most tidbit of all.

Looking at the magnifying screen, he rubbed his hands in satisfaction. His ship orbited smoothly high above the newly discovered planet. And the screen was aimed at the area below. No Delal ship had yet been to this part of the galaxy, and it was good to find a suitable planet so quickly.

Magnificent planet! - he said. - Amazing planet. Look how green! And the blue of these seas! He turned to Lieutenant Pelkves. - How do you think? Isn't it wonderful?

Of course, wonderful, your magnificence! Pelkves replied. - You will receive another reward for it.

Tagobar started to say something, but suddenly stopped. His hands darted to the controls and clutched the switches; the ship's powerful engines roared in overload as the ship hung motionless relative to the planet below. The landscape on the magnifying screen stopped. Tagobar adjusted the magnification, and the image began to grow.

Here! - said the commander. - Pelkwesh, what is it?

The question was purely rhetorical, the image, obscured by rippling currents in two hundred and something miles of atmosphere, barely flickered on the screen, but there was no doubt that it was a city of some kind. Lieutenant Pelkvesch said so.

Plague take it! said Tagobar. - A busy planet. Cities are built only by rational beings.

Exactly, the lieutenant agreed.

Both of them didn't know what to do. Only a few times in all long history the dels they discovered intelligent beings, but under the dominion of the empire they gradually died out. None of these races, by the way, was particularly intelligent.

We'll have to ask for the General Instructions," said Tagobar at last. He moved to another screen, turned it on, and began dialing in the numbers of the code.

Deep in the bowels of the ship, the Common Instruction robot slowly came to life. In his vast memory lurked 10,000 years of accumulated and ordered facts, 10,000 years of imperial experience, 10,000 years of final decisions on every issue. It was more than an encyclopedia, it was a way of life.

The robot, according to the strictest rules of logic, tested its memory until it found the answer to Tagobar's request; then it passed the data to the screen.

Hmmm, said Tagobar. - Yes. General Instruction 333953216a, MMCMH chapter 9, paragraph 402, "After detection of sentient or semi-intelligent life, take a random sample for examination. Avoid other contact until the sample has been examined in accordance with Psychological Directive 659-B, Section 888 077e, under the direction of the Chief Psychologist. Check the data with the General Instructions If accidental contact has already occurred, consult OD 472-678-R-S, head of MMMCC, paragraph 553. Samples should be taken accordingly.."

He finished reading the General Instruction and then turned to the lieutenant.

Pelkwesh, get the support boat ready to take the sample. I'll notify the psychologist Zendoplit to get ready.

Ed Magruder took a deep breath of the spring air and closed his eyes. The air was beautiful, it was saturated with spicy aromas and juicy smells, although alien, but for some reason seemed familiar - more familiar than earthly ones.

Ed was tall and thin, with dark hair and sparkling brown eyes that seemed to squint in hidden laughter.

He opened his eyes. The city was still awake, but darkness was falling fast. Ed loved his evening walks. But wandering in the fields after dusk was dangerous in New Hawaii, even now. There were little creatures of the night, fluttering softly through the air and biting without warning. There were also larger predators. Ed headed back to the town of New Hilo, built on the site where man first set foot on new planet.

Magruder was a biologist. Over the past ten years, he'd scoured half a dozen worlds, collecting specimens, carefully dissecting them, and recording the results in notebooks. Slowly, link by link, he made a scheme - a scheme of life itself. He had many predecessors, up to Karl Liney, but none of them understood what they were missing. They had only one type of life at their disposal - earthly life. And all earthly life is ultimately homogeneous. Of all the planets he had seen, New Hawaii was his favorite. It was the only planet besides Earth where a man could walk without any protective clothing, at least the only one so far discovered.

Ed heard a faint whistle overhead and looked up. It's too early for night creatures.

And then he saw that it was not a night creature at all, it was some kind of ball like a metal and ...

A greenish glow flashed across the surface of the ball, and for Ed Magruder, everything vanished.

Tagobar Werf watched dispassionately as Lieutenant Pelkwesh carried the insensible sample into the biological testing section. The sample was of a strange appearance - a parody of a living creature with soft skin, like a slug, pale, pinkish-dark in color. With disgusting moldy growths on the head and elsewhere.

The biologists accepted the sample and began working on it. They took pieces of his skin for examination, some of his blood, and took electrical readings from his muscles and nerves.

Zendoplit, the chief psychologist, stood next to the commander, supervising the procedure.

For biologists, this was Standard Procedure; they worked in the same way as with any other sample that came to them. But Zendoplit had a job ahead of him that he hadn't had to do until now. He had to work with the brain of a rational being.

But he didn't worry: everything was written in the manual, every little detail of Standard Procedure. There was nothing to worry about.

As with all other samples, Zendoplit had to decipher the basic reaction scheme. Each given organism is capable of reacting only in a certain, very large, but limited number of ways, and these ways can be reduced to the Basic Scheme. To destroy any breed of creatures, you only need to find their Basic Scheme and then set them a task that they cannot solve according to this scheme. It was all very simple, and everything is written in the Manual.

Tagobar turned to the Zendoplit.

Do you really think he can learn our language?

The beginnings of it, your magnificence, - answered the psychologist. Our language is, after all, very complicated. Of course, we will try to teach him the whole system of the language, but I doubt that he will be able to learn a significant part. Our language is based on logic, just as thought itself is based on logic. Some of the lower animals are capable of rudimentary logic, but most are unable to understand it.

Okay, we'll do our best. I'll interrogate him myself.

The Zendoplier was surprised.

But, your magnificence, all questions are written in detail in the Guide!

Tagobar Werf frowned.

As you please, your splendor, - the Psychologist agreed.

When the biologists finished working with Ed Magruder, he was placed in the Language Bunker. Spotlights were placed over his eyes, focused on his retinas, acoustic devices, various electrodes were attached to the body, a thin wire net was placed on the skull. Then he was injected into the blood with a special serum invented by biologists. All this was done with impeccable accuracy. Then the bunker was closed and the switch was turned on.

Gordon John

Honesty is the best policy

John GORDON

HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY

Tagobar Larniskulus Wharf Borgax Fenigvisnoka. It was a long name and an important title, and he was proud of it. The title meant something like "High Sheriff, Admiral of Fenigwisnok", and Fenigwisnok was a wealthy and significant planet in the Del empire. The title and name looked impressive on the documents, and there were a lot of documents to sign.

Tagobar himself was an excellent example of his breed, the embodiment of strength and pride. Like turtles on Earth, it had both an outer and an inner skeleton, though that was all that made it look like turtles. He looked like a man, a cross between a medieval knight in armor and a stocky rugby player dressed to go out on the field. He had the color of a well-cooked crab, and at the joints of the external skeleton it turned into a dark purple. The clothes consisted only of a short skirt, embroidered with intricate patterns and studded with sparkling precious stones. The insignia of his office was engraved in gold on the front and back armor, so that he could be recognized when he entered and when he left.

In short, he was a rather imposing figure, despite being only five feet two inches tall. As commander of his own starship, the Wharf, he had to seek out and explore planets suitable for colonization by the Del people. He had been diligently doing this for many years, following the Common Instruction exactly as a good commander should do.

And it was worth it. At one time, he found several good planets, and this was the tidbit of all.

Looking at the magnifying screen, he rubbed his hands in satisfaction. His ship orbited smoothly high above the newly discovered planet. And the screen was aimed at the area below. No Delal ship had yet been to this part of the galaxy, and it was good to find a suitable planet so quickly.

Magnificent planet! - he said. - Amazing planet. Look how green! And the blue of these seas! He turned to Lieutenant Pelkves. - How do you think? Isn't it wonderful?

Of course, wonderful, your magnificence! Pelkves replied. - You will receive another reward for it.

Tagobar started to say something, but suddenly stopped. His hands darted to the controls and clutched the switches; the ship's powerful engines roared in overload as the ship hung motionless relative to the planet below. The landscape on the magnifying screen stopped. Tagobar adjusted the magnification, and the image began to grow.

Here! - said the commander. - Pelkwesh, what is it?

The question was purely rhetorical, the image, obscured by rippling currents in two hundred and something miles of atmosphere, barely flickered on the screen, but there was no doubt that it was a city of some kind. Lieutenant Pelkvesch said so.

Plague take it! said Tagobar. - A busy planet. Cities are built only by rational beings.

Exactly, the lieutenant agreed.

Both of them didn't know what to do. Only a few times in the long history of the Dels have they discovered intelligent beings, but under the dominion of the empire they gradually died out. None of these races, by the way, was particularly intelligent.

We'll have to ask for the General Instructions," said Tagobar at last. He moved to another screen, turned it on, and began dialing in the numbers of the code.

Deep in the bowels of the ship, the Common Instruction robot slowly came to life. In his vast memory lurked 10,000 years of accumulated and ordered facts, 10,000 years of imperial experience, 10,000 years of final decisions on every issue. It was more than an encyclopedia, it was a way of life.

The robot, according to the strictest rules of logic, tested its memory until it found the answer to Tagobar's request; then it passed the data to the screen.

Hmmm, said Tagobar. - Yes. General Instruction 333953216a, MMCMH chapter 9, paragraph 402, "After detection of sentient or semi-intelligent life, take a random sample for examination. Avoid other contact until the sample has been examined in accordance with Psychological Directive 659-B, Section 888 077e, under the direction of the Chief Psychologist. Check the data with the General Instructions If accidental contact has already occurred, consult OD 472-678-R-S, head of MMMCC, paragraph 553. Samples should be taken accordingly.."

He finished reading the General Instruction and then turned to the lieutenant.

Pelkwesh, get the support boat ready to take the sample. I'll notify the psychologist Zendoplit to get ready.

Ed Magruder took a deep breath of the spring air and closed his eyes. The air was beautiful, it was saturated with spicy aromas and juicy smells, although alien, but for some reason seemed familiar - more familiar than earthly ones.

Ed was tall and thin, with dark hair and sparkling brown eyes that seemed to squint in hidden laughter.

He opened his eyes. The city was still awake, but darkness was falling fast. Ed loved his evening walks. But wandering in the fields after dusk was dangerous in New Hawaii, even now. There were little creatures of the night, fluttering softly through the air and biting without warning. There were also larger predators. Ed headed back to the town of New Hilo, built on the site where man first set foot on the new planet.

Magruder was a biologist. Over the past ten years, he'd scoured half a dozen worlds, collecting specimens, carefully dissecting them, and recording the results in notebooks. Slowly, link by link, he made a scheme - a scheme of life itself. He had many predecessors, up to Karl Liney, but none of them understood what they were missing. They had only one type of life at their disposal - earthly life. And all earthly life is ultimately homogeneous. Of all the planets he had seen, New Hawaii was his favorite. It was the only planet besides Earth where a man could walk without any protective clothing, at least the only one so far discovered.

Ed heard a faint whistle overhead and looked up. It's too early for night creatures.

And then he saw that it was not a night creature at all, it was some kind of ball like a metal and ...

A greenish glow flashed across the surface of the ball, and for Ed Magruder, everything vanished.

Tagobar Werf watched dispassionately as Lieutenant Pelkwesh carried the insensible sample into the biological testing section. The specimen was strange looking, a parody of a soft-skinned creature, like a slug, of a pale, swarthy pinkish complexion. With disgusting moldy growths on the head and elsewhere.

The biologists accepted the sample and began working on it. They took pieces of his skin for examination, some of his blood, and took electrical readings from his muscles and nerves.

Zendoplit, the chief psychologist, stood next to the commander, supervising the procedure.

For biologists, this was Standard Procedure; they worked in the same way as with any other sample that came to them. But Zendoplit had a job ahead of him that he hadn't had to do until now. He had to work with the brain of a rational being.

Nikolai Gavrilovich Chernyshevsky - Russian writer, scientist, philosopher

“If a person loses love for honesty , he will quickly become involved in so many evil deeds that he will acquire the habit of dishonorable rules of life."

The meaning of the word "honesty"

• Word Honesty derived from the word Honor.
• Honor - a set of higher

moral and ethical principles

personality.

• Honesty is one of the main

human virtues, moral

• quality that reflects one of

essential requirements of morality.

The meaning of the word "honesty"

Fair man - is a person

imbued with sincerity and

directness, conscientiousness

pertaining to their

duties, deserving

respect for the people around him.

What is honesty?

“Honesty is the avoidance of deceit, and in particular fraud, in dealing with other people.

The concept of honesty emphasizes the absence of selfish motives for disinformation, a person can remain honest if he tells another lie that he himself believes.

Wikipedia

• Tell the truth, no matter

that she will please or upset

interlocutor. Life brings

different situations and we don't always talk

• This is when you do not lie to yourself, your feelings,

when your conscience is clear.

• Don't lie to yourself

Our Understanding of Integrity

To be honest- this does not mean constantly throwing out everything that is on your mind. Naked truth can cause tension in friendships, and even engender anger.

• Communicate with people in the first person. Because honesty is about discovering and expressing your thoughts and feelings.
• Do not tell the whole truth at once, start small, gradually increasing momentum. Prepare the person.
• Get rid of as soon as possible
• past lies.

What does it mean to be honest with yourself?

• Tell the truth always and everywhere.
• Don't lie to yourself.
• This is when you do not lie to yourself, your

feelings when your conscience is clear.

• Offended.
• Uncomfortable.
• Loss of trust in people.
• There is a feeling of resentment.

Folklore about honesty

• In Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries, merchants did not conclude

written agreements among themselves

« honestly” was more true than any seal.

• In Rus', they have long said:

Take care of the dress from the new, and honor from the youth.

• Honest eyes do not look sideways.
• Ugly in person, but honest in soul.
• Not the one who is strong is right, but the one who is honest.

• Whoever lied yesterday will not be believed tomorrow.
• Bring to clean water
• No matter how the lie is hidden, the truth will find it.
• Little lies lead to big ones.
• Lies destroy friendship.

Winged words about honesty

• The closest thing to greatness is honesty.

/ Victor Hugo/

• Honesty dies when sold.

/George Sand/

• The only one than anyone fair man should be guided in his actions, is it fair or unfair what he does, and whether this is an act of good or evil person. /Socrates/
• Do not speak ill of those who are absent, for it is dishonorable. /George Washington /

Poll results

A total of 25 people were interviewed.

Of these, only 15 people are telling the truth.

If someone has to lie, then:

6 people are ashamed

10 people - anxiety in the soul,

3 people - tormented by conscience,

2 people are afraid.

At the same time, when the guys themselves are deceived,

20 a person experiences a feeling of anger and dissatisfaction,

10 people - resentment.

25 people want to talk about honesty.

It is the agreement between a person's thoughts and beliefs and his words and deeds. Honesty of thought is the desire to follow the facts without hiding or distorting them, and without drawing conclusions from false information. Honesty of actions includes accuracy in money matters, sincerity in relationships.

• Honesty- this is one of the indispensable manifestations of a noble person.
• Honesty- this is a serious reason for respect for a person.
• Honesty- this is the belief that the interlocutor is so spiritually developed that he will be able to understand and accept the most bitter truth.
• Honesty- a surprisingly useful thing. It can free us from the heavy burden of stress and anxiety; she makes our sleep peaceful at night; it gives confidence own forces; it improves our spiritual well-being; it makes people value our opinion more.

Report on the topic:

"Honesty is the best policy"

Honesty offends people at the moment when it harms them, then they admire it and exalt it.

Honesty – avoidance of deception, and in particularfraud in relationships with other people. Compared withtruthfulness , the concept of honesty emphasizes the absence of selfish motives for misinformation and, at the same time, is more lenient towards unintentional misleading, i.e. a person can remain honest if he tells another lie that he himself believes.

Performed by the master p / o

Kastornykh N.V.

When I say that honesty is the best policy, I mean exactly what I said: first, it's a policy, and second, it's the best one you can stick to most of the time. But politics, as I understand it, is by no means an iron law, not a firm rule.

Honest people always have a bad habit of lowering their eyes in shame before insolence and impudent meanness.

Honesty - this is an outstanding quality that penetrates the very depths of human essence. Honesty (or lack of it) will be clearly manifested in your every word and deed. Honesty, strength of character, integrity and respect are closely related and go hand in hand on the path to outstanding success.

Benefits of Honesty

• Honesty gives freedom - from duplicity, cowardice and servility.
• Honesty makes it possible to achieve the triumph of justice. both small and large.
• Honesty ensures respect – even a dishonest person recognizes the superiority of an honest person.
• Honesty leads the way personal growth person.
• Honesty ensures understanding – from others.

Manifestations of Honesty in Daily Life

• Professional activity. The main asset of an honest businessman is reputation; it is earned over the years and cherished like the apple of an eye.
• Folk traditions. In Russia in the 18th and 19th centuries, merchants did not conclude written agreements with each other - their “word of honor” was more true than any press.
• Family relationships. The strongest and a happy family- one in which all its members are honest with each other.
• Parenting. Parents who do not give the child an example of lies, even in small things, bring him up as an honest person.
• Respect for the law. An honest person is one who does not break the law, not because it can be found out, but because he respects it.

How to achieve honesty

• Honesty is one of the most valuable human virtues and a character trait that must be nurtured from childhood.
• Parents and children. By not allowing the slightest lie in the presence of children, a person cultivates honesty not only in them, but also in himself.
• Sincerity in communication. A person who openly and publicly declares his point of view on any issue and at the same time consciously refrains from “discussing” those who are absent shows honesty.
• Reading spiritual literature. Honesty is one of the most revered virtues in all religions; the conscious process of reading helps a person cultivate honesty in himself.

Winged expressions about honesty

The closest thing to greatness is honesty.

Victor Hugo -

An honest person is exalted in soul, therefore his happiness is deep and inescapable. On all his deeds lies the stamp of freedom.

Hong Zicheng -

Honesty dies when sold.

George Sand -

The only thing that every honest person should be guided by in his actions is whether what he does is fair or unfair, and whether this is an act of a good or evil person.

Socrates -

Truly honest is the one who always asks himself if he is honest enough.

Plautus -

Arnold A. Rogow, Harold D. Lasswell /Power, corruption and honesty

A person lives among other people, among people's ideas, ideas, meanings. Different

people, different things, ideas, are meaningful for a person in different ways, have for him

different price. The human world is a world of values. Values ​​are not

only jewelry, i.e. things that have high price, and if jewelry, then

with an emphasis on the first part of this word: values ​​are what is dear to

person.

In value, something or someone for a person reflects his attitude towards something

or to someone.

In his behavior, in making decisions, in judgments, a person proceeds from those

or other values, focusing on values.

Values ​​differ in sign into positive and negative: benefit-harm,

glory-shame. Truth is false, good is evil. It's about not about what values

elevated or low. Positive and negative are defined by

whether the values ​​correspond to the needs and interests of the person or not.

IN modern concept"spirituality" has acquired the status of one of the main

values humanitarian knowledge. Russian people have always strived for the ideal,

to ideal spiritual values. And one of the most important of them for the Russians

there has always been "truth" and as a synonym for this word "honesty". Tradition

the relationship of truth to the world of spiritual values ​​goes back to the concepts and

ideas of our ancestors, very common in Rus'. As noted

historian A.I. Klebanov, "In everyday life public consciousness all feudal

period "Pravda" served as an equivalent to our concept of "ideal". "True

called the supreme regulatory idea for all forms and manifestations

social life, the whole life activity of people.

Honesty is a quality, a property of a person to act with integrity.

Honest, true.

Truth (honesty) has always belonged to the world of ideal, spiritual values.

Russian people. And in our time, “truth” as an element of spiritual appearance

a Russian has the moral and intellectual qualities of an ideal.

The need for truth, the desire for it are based on the unity of opinion with faith,

conscious, individually - personal characteristics of a person and his

perceiving oneself as a part of the universe. As a result, purposefully

tried to "live in truth", the subject not only "builds", creatively transforms

myself. But it also gradually climbs the ladder of spiritual development.

If we talk about honesty as a moral quality that reflects one

one of the most important requirements of morality, it should be noted that it

(honesty) implies truthfulness, adherence to principles,

justice.

It is important that the modern world cannot be imagined without the existence of laws,

and in Russia there is still a conviction that the truth can be equally valuable

denominator of laws. One of the exponents of this point of view is A.I.

Solzhenitsyn. He writes: “If everyone lived in truth (i.e. honestly) - and laws

No need". A.N. Berdyaev, using the example of one class of people, clearly explained

reasons for the denial of worldly value-truth. He wrote: "From the Russian

intelligentsia due to its position, the following kind of misfortune happened:

love for truth has almost destroyed interest in truth.

So, we can say that the desire to act honestly and truthfully is not always

right? But honesty also implies fidelity to the obligations assumed,

subjective belief in the correctness of the case.

How rare in modern world we meet with such a human concept as

honesty.

Modern Russian political world completely questioned it

concept.

How often do we hear loud and convincing speeches from TV screens.

Politicians, following the highest moral character promise to do everything for

voters, just to get into the political arena. They almost

swear to observe the obligations assumed, assure us of the correctness of the

affairs, try to be sincere about the motives with which they

guided.

But as soon as the false defenders of the people fall into the dirty muzzle of politics, all

honesty fades. Probably, they follow the point of view of N. Maclavelli. He

wrote: “So, a reasonable ruler cannot and should not be faithful to a given

word, when such honesty turns against him and no longer exists

reasons that prompted him to make a promise. If people were all good

the rule would be wrong. But since they are evil and will not keep their word given

you, then you have nothing to keep the word, the prince will never have a lack of

legitimate reasons to ask for the decision of the promise."

Honesty is also recognition and respect for other people's rights to that. What do they

legally belongs. Life is the most valuable thing a person has. And how often

ordinary people lose it for no reason. Our state does not

fair dealings with its citizens. There is no human protection.

Not infrequently we meet with such a fact as slavery. People deprive others of such

same people of freedom. Where is the honesty towards each other?

Honesty in the broadest sense of the word is truthfulness. We are taught to tell the truth

birth, parents are waging a whole "war" with children for the desire to always hear

the truth. But, unfortunately, in adult life truthfulness, honesty is not always

needed. Pay attention to the obvious fact: we have a very common

persuasion, including in order to look more believable,

the truth must be slightly diluted with lies. This is reflected in the proverbs

(“He who does not lie will never tell the truth”), and in artistic

literature. Here, for example, as F.M. Dostoevsky: "Desire

lie, in order to make your neighbor happy, you will meet even in the very

our decent society, for we all suffer from this intemperance, hearts

ours. Only we have stories of a different kind; what do we have about one America

they say, it's a passion, and even state people! I myself

I confess that I belong to this dishonorable type and have suffered all my life from

this. My friend, let a person always lie a little - it's innocent. Even

let me lie a lot. Firstly, it will show your delicacy, and secondly, for

it will also let you lie - two huge benefits - at once. Que diable!

You have to love your neighbor."

Lie is a conscious distortion of reality, deviation from the truth in

unseemly purposes. In stable forms in which lies are

systematic tendency, it acts as a character trait (deceit).

Falsehood - in contrast to delusion and error - denotes conscious and therefore

morally reprehensible contradiction of truth. Does it matter to us? ABOUT

necessary lies, that is, about what is permissible to do consciously

unspoken statements with factual reality, in extreme cases

morality to save someone's life. So in medical practice

there are situations when the patient needs to be informed of an unfavorable diagnosis.

Most doctors tend to think that "white lies" will

the best way out of this situation.

Interestingly, women elevate honesty to a higher rank of subjective

hierarchy of values ​​than men. However, if they lie, unlike men,

prefer non-instrumental lies to virtuous "lies in

the rescue". It is impossible not to agree with the opinion of F.M. Dostoevsky, namely with

women, who linked hopes for the moral revival of Russia: “In our

sincerity is more and more noticed by a woman. persistence, seriousness

and honor, the search for truth and sacrifice. A woman lies less, many do not even at all

they lie, and there are almost no men who do not lie - I'm talking about the present moment of our

society."

Despite the fact that more than 125

years, I fully subscribe to the opinion of the great writer.

Lies appear in specific situations communication between people, and therefore its causes

due to both socio-economic factors and individual

psychological. Lying is a sociocultural phenomenon typical of

for Russian self-consciousness and at the same time inextricably linked with

personality traits of liars. Psychological structure lies based on

combination of three semantic antipodes of truth: the speaker's statement is not

corresponds to the facts, he does not believe in the truth of what is being said and is going to

deceive your partner. The real typical lies are carried out so stupidly that,

no matter how much you study it, you will never know thoroughly how and by whom exactly

it is produced. The smallest girls, five years old, lie

twelve-year-old cadets, old ladies lying, state councilors lying, and all

equally causeless, aimless and meaningless. But no matter how unsuccessful

their lies, one can always state an unusually upbeat and, as it were,

inspired expression of their faces during the virtual process.

Lying is not a disinformation moment, but a communicative one: this is one of the ways

install a good relationship with a partner, deliver your fiction

pleasure for himself and for him. It is not so much a means of deliberately distorted

reflection of reality, how much is the way to establish contact and rapprochement

of people. The social permissibility of lying and even its normative predetermination

are reflected in Russian proverbs: “Don’t listen, but don’t interfere with lying!”; "Lie

don't get tired, there would be someone to listen"; “If you don’t want to listen to people lie, lie yourself!”

Lies are not designed to be believed, in this act there is no

intention to deceive the listener. Telling tales, a person does not expect

for anyone to believe in them. In other words, he does not hope to deceive

partner.

In Russian culture, a lie has the character of a conventional agreement about

taking note of the partner's message (in cases where the truth

undesirable for one or all interlocutors).

A lie does not imply humiliation of the listener and receiving at his expense some

personal gain. The classic lie is characterized by the fact that the liar gets

undisguised pleasure, enjoyment from the very process of telling fables.

However, in a lie there is always some element of narcissism and

self-aggrandizement: a deceitful person wants to become an object at least for a while

general attention, to feel more significant, valuable in the eyes of

surrounding. The main thing that a liar wants is the enthusiastic attention of the public. Life

is reflected in art, and therefore in Russian literature are represented in abundance

inspired liars, compelling examples can be found in a series of essays

A.F. Pisemsky "Russian liars". With similar "talents" the Russian land,

Apparently it will never fail. In my opinion, today in Russian

In the political sky, V.V. Zhirinovsky undoubtedly belongs to them.

Often lies should be seen as outward manifestation defense mechanisms

personality, aimed at eliminating feelings of anxiety, discomfort caused by

dissatisfaction of the subject with his relationships with others.

Man's desire to protect his inner world from "unauthorized

invasion", unwillingness to bare the soul in front of others for fear of ridicule or

manifestations of a condescending attitude are a serious enough reason for lying.

interpersonal communication. Defensive manipulation is a combination

not spoken out loud hidden ways impact on interlocutors

aimed at preventing such possible words and actions that

will require the subject to update the protective mechanisms of the personality.

The fact is that the need and desire of a person to lie is determined not

only social reasons, prompting him to resort to manipulation, but also

personality traits of a liar.

Bibliography

1. M.K. Kanke "Philosophy" M: Politizdat, 1996.

2. A.F. Dostoevsky "Collected Works" M: Fiction v.5

p.250.

3. N. Machiavelli "The World of Philosophy" M: political literature 2000

4. M. Bagrov "Textbook on ethics" M: Enlightenment 1998.

5. "A Brief Guide to Ethics" M: Enlightenment 1978.

Tagobar Larniskulus Wharf Borgax Fenigvisnoka. It was a long name and an important title, and he was proud of it. The title meant something like "High Sheriff, Admiral of Fenigwisnok," and Fenigwisnok was a wealthy and significant planet in the Dal Empire. The title and name looked impressive on the documents, and there were a lot of documents to sign.

Tagobar himself was an excellent example of his breed, the embodiment of strength and pride. Like turtles on Earth, it had both an outer and an inner skeleton, although that was all that made it look like turtles. He looked like a man, a cross between a medieval knight in armor and a stocky rugby player dressed for the field. It had the color of a well-cooked crayfish, and at the joints of the external skeleton it turned into a dark purple. The clothes consisted only of a short skirt, embroidered with intricate patterns and studded with sparkling precious stones. The insignia of his office was engraved in gold on the front and back armor, so that he could be recognized when he entered and when he left. In short, he was a rather imposing figure, despite being only five feet two inches tall.

As commander of his own starship, the Wharf, he had to seek out and explore planets suitable for Dal colonization. He had been diligently doing this for years, following the Common Instruction exactly as a good commander should. Looking at the magnifying screen, he rubbed his hands in satisfaction. His ship orbited smoothly high above the newly discovered planet. And the screen was aimed at the area below. No Delal ship had yet been to this part of the galaxy, and it was good to find a suitable planet so quickly.

Magnificent planet! - he said. - Amazing planet.

Look how green! And the blue of these seas! He turned to Lieutenant Pelkves.

How do you think?

Isn't it wonderful?

Of course, wonderful, your magnificence! Pelkves replied. - You will receive another reward for it.

Tagobar started to say something, but suddenly stopped. His hands darted to the controls and clutched the switches; the ship's powerful engines roared in overload as the ship hung motionless relative to the planet below. The landscape on the magnifying screen stopped. Tagobar adjusted the magnification, and the image began to grow.

Here! - said the commander. - Pelkwesh, what is it? The question was purely rhetorical, the image, obscured by the rippling currents in two hundred and something miles of atmosphere, barely flickered on the screen, but there was no doubt that it was a city of some kind. Lieutenant Pelkvesch said so.

Plague take it! said Tagobar. - A busy planet. Cities are built only by rational beings.

Exactly, the lieutenant agreed. Both of them didn't know what to do. Only a few times in the long history of the Dels have they discovered intelligent beings, but under the dominion of the empire they gradually died out. None of these races, by the way, was particularly intelligent.

We'll have to ask for the General Instruction," said Tagobar at last. He moved to another screen, turned it on, and began dialing in the numbers of the code. Deep in the bowels of the ship, the Common Instruction robot slowly came to life. In his vast memory lurked 10,000 years of accumulated and ordered facts, 10,000 years of Empire Experience, 10,000 years of final decisions on every issue. It was more than an encyclopedia - it was a way of life.

Hmmmm, said Tagobar. - Yes. General Instruction 33395321 ba, chapter MMCMH 9 paragraph 402, “After the discovery of intelligent or semi-intelligent life, “take a randomly selected sample for research. Avoid other contact until the specimen has been examined in accordance with Psychological Directive 659-B, Section 888 077e, under the direction of the Chief Psychologist. Check the data with the General Instruction. If accidental contact has already occurred, consult OH 472-678-R-S, head of MMMAA, paragraph 553. Samples should be taken accordingly…”

He finished reading the General Instruction and then turned to the lieutenant.

Pelkvash, prepare a support boat to take a sample. I'll notify the psychologist Zendoplit to get ready.

Ed Magruder took a deep breath of the spring air and closed his eyes. The air was beautiful, it was saturated with spicy aromas and juicy smells. He opened his eyes. The city was still awake, but darkness was falling fast. Ed loved his evening walks. But wandering in the fields after dusk was dangerous in New Haven, even now. There were little creatures of the night, fluttering softly through the air and biting without warning. There were also larger predators. Ed headed back to the town of New Hilo, built on the site where man first set foot on the new planet. Magruder was a biologist. Over the past ten years, he'd scoured half a dozen worlds, collecting specimens, carefully dissecting them, and recording the results in notebooks. Slowly, link by link, he made a scheme-scheme of life itself. He had many predecessors, up to Karl Liney, but none of them understood what they were missing. They had only one type of life at their disposal - earthly life. And all earthly life is ultimately homogeneous. Of all the planets he had seen, New Hawaii was his favorite. It was the only planet besides Earth where a man could walk without any protective clothing, at least the only one so far discovered.

Ed heard a faint whistle overhead. I looked up. It's too early for night creatures. And then he saw that it was not a night creature at all, it was some kind of ball like a metal and ... A greenish glow flashed on the surface of the ball, and for Ed Magruder everything disappeared.

Tagobar Werf watched dispassionately as Lieutenant Pelkwesh carried the insensible sample into the biological testing section. The specimen was strange looking, a parody of a soft-skinned creature, like a slug, of a pale, swarthy pinkish complexion. With disgusting moldy growths on the head and elsewhere. The biologists accepted the sample and began working on it. They took pieces of his skin for examination, some of his blood, and took electrical readings from his muscles and nerves.

Zendoplit, the chief psychologist, stood next to the commander, supervising the procedure. For biologists, this was Standard Procedure; they worked in the same way as with any other sample that came to them. But Zendoplyat had a job ahead of him that he had never had to do before. He had to work with the brain of a rational being. But he didn't worry: everything was written in the Manual, every little detail of Standard Procedure. There was nothing to worry about. As with all other samples, Zendoplit had to decipher the basic reaction scheme. Each given organism is capable of reacting only in a certain, very large, but limited number of ways, and these ways can be reduced to the Basic Scheme. To destroy any breed of creatures, you only need to find their Basic Scheme, and then give them a task that they cannot solve according to this scheme. It was all very simple, and everything is written in the Manual. Tagobar turned to the Zendoplit.

Do you really think he can learn our language?

The beginnings of it, your magnificence, - answered the psychologist.

Our language is, after all, very complex. Of course, we will try to teach him the whole system of the language, but I doubt that he will be able to learn a significant part. Our language is based on logic, “and thought itself is based on logic. Some of the lower animals are capable of rudimentary logic, but most are unable to understand it.

Okay, we'll do our best. I'll interrogate him myself. The Zendoplier was surprised.

But, your magnificence, all questions are written in detail in the Guide! Tagobar Werf frowned.

As you wish, your magnificence, - the Psychologist agreed. When the biologists finished working with Ed Magruder, he was placed in the Language Bunker. Spotlights were placed over his eyes focused on his retinas, acoustic devices were inserted into his ears, various electrodes were attached all over his body, and a thin wire mesh was placed over his skull. Then he was injected into the blood with a special serum invented by biologists. All this was done with impeccable accuracy. Then the bunker was closed and the switch was turned on.

Magruder felt vaguely that he was emerging from somewhere in the darkness. He saw strange, lobster-like creatures moving around him, and sounds whispered and bubbled into his ears. Gradually he began to understand. He was taught to associate sounds with objects and actions. Ed Magruder sat in a small room, four by six feet, naked as a worm, and looked through the transparent wall at the six strangers he had so often seen outside. Lately. He had no idea how long he had been taught the language; he was in a fog. "Well," he thought, "I got a lot of good samples, and now I myself got into the samples." He remembered what he had done with his samples and winced slightly. Anyway. He got caught. It remains only to show them how to behave: to tighten your lips, raise your head, and all that. One of the creatures approached the panel with buttons and pressed one of them. Immediately, Magruder began to hear sounds from the room on the other side of the transparent wall. Tagobar Werf glanced at the sample, then at the question paper in his hand.

Our psychologists taught you our language, didn't they? he asked coldly. The specimen shook its head up and down.

Yes. And I call it force-feeding.

Very good. I have to ask you a few questions: you will answer them truthfully.

Well, of course, - kindly answered Magruder. - Go ahead.

We can find out when you are lying,” Tagobar continued.

You will be hurt if you tell lies. So, what's your name?

Theophilus K. Gasenfeffer,” Magruder said softly. The Zendoplitter glanced at the quivering arrow and slowly shook his head, shifting his gaze to Tatebar.

It's a lie, said Tagobar. The sample nodded.

Well, of course. Nice machine you have!

It's good that you acknowledge high quality our instruments,” said Tagobar grimly.

Well, so what's your name?

Edwin Peter Saint John Magruder. The psychologist Zendoplit, who was following the arrow, nodded.

Wonderful! said Tagobar. So Edwin...

Ed will be enough,” Magruder said. Tagobar was surprised.

Enough - for what?

To call me. - Tagobar turned to the psychologist and muttered something. The Zendoplit responded with a mutter as well. Tagobar again turned to the model.

Is your name Ed?

Strictly speaking, no, replied Magruder.

Then why should we call you that?

Why not? Others do," replied Magruder. Tagobar again consulted Zendoplit and then said: - We will return to this issue later. So... Um... Ed, what do you call your home planet?

Fine. What is your race name?

Nomo Sapiens.

What does that mean, if it means anything? Magruder thought.

It's just a name, he said. The arrow wavered.

Another lie, said Tagobar.

Magruder chuckled.

I just checked. This is really the right machine! - Blue, copper-containing blood rushed to the neck and face of Tagobar. He darkened with suppressed anger.

You already said that once, he reminded her ominously.

I know. So, if you want to know Homo sapiens means "wise man". He didn't really say Homo sapiens: there is no precise expression of this concept in the language of the Dels, and Magruder did his best to express it. Translated back into English, this would sound something like "Creatures with great power thoughts". Tagobar's eyes widened as he heard this, and he turned to look at Zendoplit. The psychologist spread his shell-shaped hands: the arrow did not move.

You seem to have a high opinion of yourself there,” said Tagobar, addressing Magruder again.

Possibly, the earthling replied. Tagobar shrugged, glanced at his list, and the interrogation continued. Some of the questions seemed meaningless to Magruder, others were clearly part of a psychological test. But one thing was clear: the lie detector was a maximalist. If Magruder spoke honest truth, the instrument pointer did not move. But as soon as he lied even a little, she flew up to the ceiling. The first few deceitful answers were for nothing for Magruder, but in the end Tagobar said:

You've lied enough, Ed. He pressed the button, and a crushing wave of pain hit the Earthman. When she left, Magruder felt knots in his stomach muscles, his fists and teeth clenched, and tears streaming down his cheeks. He was overcome by uncontrollable nausea and vomiting. Tagobar Werf turned away in disgust.

Take it back to the cell and put it away here. - Is it severely damaged? The Zendoplit has already checked its instruments.

I think not, your magnificence; probably a slight shock, and nothing more. However, at the next interrogation, we still have to check it. Then we'll probably know.

Magruder sat on the edge of a shelf that might have served as a low table or high bed. Sitting was not very comfortable, but there was nothing else in the cell, and the floor was even harder. It had been several hours since he had been brought here, and he still could not come to his senses. This vile machine hurt! He clenched his fists, he still felt a spasm in his stomach, and ... And then he realized that the spasm was not caused by the machine at all: he had long since gotten rid of that. The convulsive tension was caused by a monstrous, ice-cold rage. He thought about it for a minute, then burst out laughing. Here he sits like a fool and rages so that he brings himself to pain. And from this neither he nor the colony will be of any use.

It was obvious that the eccentrics were up to no good, to put it mildly. The colony on New Hilo consisted of 600 people - the only group of people on New Hawaii, apart from several reconnaissance groups. If that ship tries to take over the planet, the colonists won't be able to do a damn thing. What if aliens found the Earth! He had no idea how the ship was armed and what size it was, but apparently there was a lot of room in it. He knew that everything depended on him. He must do something and-somehow. What? Should he leave the cell and attack the ship? Nonsense! naked man completely helpless in an empty cell. But what then? Magruder lay down and thought about it for a long time. Then a panel in the door opened, revealing a red-purple face behind a transparent square.

You are certainly hungry, it said solemnly.

An analysis of the processes in your body showed what kind of food you need. Here you get it. From a niche in the wall a large pitcher jutted out, emitting a strange odor.

Magruder took the jug and looked inside. There was a yellowish-gray translucent liquid, similar to liquid stew. He dipped his finger into it, tried it on his tongue. Her palatability was clearly below zero. He could guess that it contained a dozen or two different amino acids, a dozen vitamins, a handful of carbohydrates, a few percent of other substances. Something like a pseudo-protoplasmic soup - a highly balanced meal. He wondered if there was anything harmful to him in her? but I figured it wasn't.

If the outsiders wish to poison him, there is no need for them to resort to subterfuge; besides, this is probably the same burda that he was fed during language training. Pretending to himself that it was beef stew, he drank it whole. Maybe by getting rid of the feeling of hunger, he will be able to think better. It turned out that this is so. Less than an hour later, he was called back to the interrogation room. This time he decided he wouldn't let Tagobar push that button. After all, he reasoned, I may need to lie to someone in the future if I ever get out of here. No need to purchase conditioned reflex against lies. And judging by how much the machine hurt him, he saw that after several such blows he might well get a conditioned reflex.

He had a plan. A very vague plan and very flexible. You just need to accept what will be, rely on happiness and hope for the best. He sat down in a chair and waited for the wall to become transparent again. He thought he'd have a chance to escape as he was being led from the cell to the interrogation room, but he felt he couldn't deal with six armored aliens at once. He wasn't even sure he could handle even one. How to deal with an opponent whose nervous system you do not know at all, and the body is armored like a steam boiler?

The wall became transparent, and behind it stood a stranger. Magruder wondered if this was the same creature that had interrogated him earlier, and after looking at the pattern on the shell, he decided that it was the same. He leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms over his chest and waited for the first question. Tagobar Werf was in great difficulty. He carefully checked the psychological data against the General Instruction after the psychologists had checked it against the Manual. He did not like the results of the reconciliations. The General Instruction said only: “A race of this type has never been found in the Galaxy. In this case, the commander must act in accordance with SI 234 511 006d, Ch. MMSSDH, paragraph 666. After reviewing the link, he consulted the Zendoplit.

What do you think of it? - he asked.

And why doesn't your science have any answers?

Science, your magnificence, Zendoplit replied, is the process of obtaining and coordinating information. We do not yet have sufficient information, it is true, but we will receive it. There is absolutely no need for us to panic, we must be objective, only objective. He handed Tagobar another printed sheet.

These are the questions you should now ask according to the Manual of Psychology. Tagobar felt relieved. The General Instruction said that in a case like this, further action will depend only on own decisions. He switched on the polarization of the wall and looked at the sample.

Now you will answer several questions in the negative, - said Tagobar.

No matter how truthful the answers are, you should only answer "no".

Is this clear to you?

No, Magruder replied. Tagobar frowned. The instructions seemed perfectly clear to him, but what happened to the sample? Is he dumber than they thought before?

He lies, said Zendoplit. It took Tagobar a good half a minute to understand what had happened, and then his face darkened unpleasantly. But nothing can be done, the sample obeyed the order. His splendor took a deep breath of air, held it, exhaled slowly, and began to ask questions in a meek voice:

Is your name Edwin?

Do you live on the planet below?

Do you have six eyes?

After five minutes of such a conversation, Zendopliat said:

Enough, your magnificence, everything fits; his nervous system is not damaged by pain. Now you can start next group questions. Now you will answer the truth, - said Tagobar.

If not, you will be punished again. Is that clear to you?

Clearly, Ed Magruder replied. Although his voice sounded completely calm, Magruder felt a slight tremor. From now on, he will need to think about the answers carefully and quickly. On the other hand, he himself didn't want to take too long to answer.

What is the size of your race?

Several billion. “Actually, there were about four billion of them, but in Del language, “several” was an obscure designation for numbers over five, though not necessarily that many.

Do you know the exact number?

No, Magruder replied. Not to within one person, he thought. The arrow didn't budge. Of course, didn't he tell the truth?

So your entire race doesn't live on Earth? asked Tagobar, deviating slightly from the list of questions.

Doesn't live in the same city? With a flash of pure joy, Magruder saw what a wonderful mistake the stranger had made. So when he asked about the name of Magruder's home planet, he answered "Earth". But the stranger thought of New Hawaii. Urrrra!

Oh no, Magruder answered truthfully, there are only a few thousand of us here. “Here” meant, of course, New Hawaii.

So most of your people fled the Earth?

Escaped from Earth? Magruder asked indignantly. - Holy heavens, of course not! We have only colonized planets; we are all governed by one central government.

How many of you are in each colony? - Tagobar completely abandoned the list of questions.

I don't know exactly, Magruder replied, but none of the planets we have colonized has more inhabitants than Earth. Tagobar was stunned. He immediately hung up from the interrogation room. The chute was upset.

You are interrogating not according to the Manual, - he said plaintively.

I know I know. But did you hear what he said?

Is that really true? The Zendoplate straightened up to its full five-foot height.

Your magnificence, you may deviate from the Manual, but I will not allow you to doubt the work of the Truth Detector. Reality is the truth; so the truth is reality. The detector has never been wrong since ... with ... in a word, never!

I know,” said Tagobar hastily. "But do you understand the meaning of what he said?" Several thousand inhabitants live on his home planet; on all colonies - less. And his race numbers several billion! This means that they occupied about 10 million planets!

I understand that this sounds strange, - agreed Zendoplit,

But the Detector never lies! - then he remembered who he was addressing, and added, - Your magnificence. - But Tagobar did not notice the violation of etiquette.

This is absolutely correct. But, as you said, there is something strange here. We must continue to investigate. Tagobar's voice said:

According to our calculations, there are few habitable planets in this Galaxy.

What explains what you have shown here? Magruder thought of Mars, many light-years away, On Mars. for a long time there was a science station, but it's damn far away and uninhabitable.

My people, he said carefully, are able to live on a planet where climatic conditions are very different from those on Earth. Before Tagobar had time to ask about anything else, a new thought flashed through the earthman. Thousand-inch telescope on the moon discovered with a spectroscope major planets in the Andromeda Nebula.

Besides," Ed boldly continued, "we've found planets in other galaxies than this one! Here! That will confuse them! The sound was turned off again, and Magruder could see that the two strangers were arguing heatedly. When the sound reappeared, Tagobar spoke of something else:

How much do you have spaceships? Magruder considered this for a full long second. There are a dozen starships on Earth - not enough to colonize 10 million planets. He got caught! No! Wait a minute! A supply ship arrives in Hawaii every six months. But Hawaii doesn't have its own ships.

Spaceships? Magruder asked innocently. - We don't have them.

Tagobar turned off the sound again, and this time even made the wall opaque.

No ships? No ships? He lied... I hope? The Zendoplitter shook his head grimly.

This is the absolute truth.

But but but…

Remember what he called his race,” the psychologist said quietly. Tagobar blinked his eyes very slowly. When he spoke, the voice was a hoarse whisper:

Beings with great power of thought.

Exactly, - confirmed Zendoplit. Magruder sat in the interrogation room for a long time, not seeing or hearing anything. Did they understand or not what he said? Have you begun to understand what he is doing? He wanted to bite his nails, bite his hands, tear his hair; but he forced himself to sit still. The end is still far away. The wall suddenly became transparent again.

Is it true, - asked Tagobar, - that your race is able to move in space only by the power of thought?

For a moment, Magruder was stunned. This exceeded his wildest hopes. But he quickly mastered himself. "How does a person walk?" he thought.

It is true that by using the powers of the mind to control physical energy, he said carefully, we are able to move from place to place without the help of starships or other similar machines.

Immediately the wall was closed again. Tagobar turned slowly and looked at Zendoplit. The psychologist's face turned dirty red.

I think it would be better to call the officers,” he said slowly.

We got a monster. Three minutes later all twenty officers of the huge Shipyard gathered in the psychology room. When they arrived, Tagobar commanded "at ease" and then outlined the situation.

Well, he said, what do you suggest? They didn't feel free at all. They looked tense, like a bowstring. Lieutenant Pelkves was the first to speak:

What does the Common Instruction say, your magnificence?

The General Instruction says, - answered Tatebar, - that we must, if necessary, protect our ship and our people. Methods for this are provided at the discretion of the commander. It's pretty an awkward silence. Then Lieutenant Pelkvesh's face brightened somewhat.

Your magnificence, we can simply drop a devastating bomb on this planet. Tagobar shook his head.

I already thought about it. If they can move in space with the power of thought alone, then they will be saved, and then they will avenge you for the destruction of one of their planets. Everyone darkened.

Wait a minute, said Pelkves. “If he can move with his mind alone, then why didn’t he leave us?”

Magruder saw that the wall was becoming transparent. The room behind it was now full of strangers. At the microphone was this Tagobar, a big shot.

We want to know, he said, why, being able to go anywhere, did you stay here? Why don't you run from us?

Again, you need to think fast.

It is impolite of a guest, said Magruder, to leave the hosts without finishing their business.

Even after we… you… punished you?

Minor troubles can be ignored, especially if the owner acted out of the deepest ignorance.

One of Tagobar's subordinates whispered something, someone argued, and then a new question was heard:

Are we to assume, judging by your answer, that you have no grudge against us?

There is some, - Magruder answered frankly. “However, I am offended only personally by your arrogant treatment of me. I can assure you that my people as a whole do not resent your people as a whole, nor any of you in particular.

Play big, Magruder, he told himself. "You've already shot them down, I hope." Again disputes behind the wall.

You say, - Tagobar asked, - that your people are not offended by us. How do you know this?

I can confirm that,” Magruder replied. “I know, without a shadow of a doubt, exactly what every one of my people is thinking of you at this very moment. Besides, let me remind you that I haven't been harmed yet - they have nothing to be angry about. After all, you haven't been destroyed yet.

Sound off. Another hot debate. Sound is on.

There is a suggestion, - said Tagobar, - that in spite of all the circumstances, we were forced to take as a model you, and only you. There is an assumption that you were sent to meet us. Oh brothers! Now you have to be very, very careful.

I am only a very humble member of my race,” Magruder began, mainly to buy time.

But wait! Isn't he an extraterrestrial biologist?

However,” he continued with dignity, “my profession is to find alien beings. I must admit that I was assigned to this job.

Tagobar seemed even more alarmed.

Does that mean you knew we were coming? Magruder thought for a second. Centuries ago, it was predicted that humanity might eventually meet with an alien race.

We have known for a long time that you will come,” he said calmly.

Tagobar was clearly agitated.

In this case, you should know where our planet is.

A very difficult question. Magruder glanced through the wall at Tagobar and his subordinates, who were crowding nervously into the room.

I know where you are, he said, and I know exactly where each of you is.

Everyone on the other side of the wall shuddered at once, but Tagobar held firm.

Where are we located?

For a second, Magruder thought they had finally knocked the ground out from under his feet. And then I found the most best explanation. He had spent so long trying to evade that he almost forgot about the possibility of a direct answer. He looked compassionately at Tagobar.

This was true; the dels are not stupid enough to tell the sample about their coordinate system: traces can lead to their planet; moreover, it was forbidden by the Common Instruction. Again negotiations behind the wall. Tagobar spoke again:

If you are in telepathic contact with your comrades, can you read our minds? Magruder looked at him haughtily.

I, like my people, have my own principles. We don't enter other people's minds uninvited.

So all your people know the location of our base? asked Tagobar plaintively.

Magruder replied serenely:

I assure you, Tagobar Werf, that every member of my race on every planet we own knows as much about your base and its location as I do.

It seems incredible,” said Tagobar after a few minutes, “that your race has had no contact with us so far. Our race is very ancient and powerful, and we have conquered planets in a good half of the galaxy, and yet we have never met you or heard of your people.

Our policy, Magruder replied, is to try not to reveal our presence. Besides, we have no disputes with you, and we had no desire to take your planets from you. Only when a race becomes stupidly and unreasonably warlike do we take the trouble to show it our might.

It was a long speech, perhaps too long. Did he hold on to strict truth? One look at the Zendoplit told him this: The Chief Psychologist kept his black beady eyes on the needle of the device throughout the conversation and looked more and more concerned as the device pointed out to him the unchanging veracity of the answers.

Tagobar was positively alarmed. As Magruder got used to strangers, he could more and more read their faces. In the end, he had a big advantage: they made the mistake of teaching him their language. He called them, but they did not know him. Tagobar said:

So there were other races… um…. which did you punish?

There was a race before me that challenged us. She doesn't exist anymore.

For your life? What is your age?

Take a look at your screen, at the planet below, - solemnly said the earthling.

When I was born, none of what you see was on Earth. The continents on Earth were not like that at all; the seas were very different. The Earth I was born on has vast polar ice caps; look down and you won't see them. And we have done nothing to change the planet you see; all changes on it have passed through a long process of geological evolution.

Glick! - this strange sound escaped Tagobar just at the moment when he turned off the sound and the wall.

Just like an old movie in a movie, Magruder thought. “There is no sound, and the picture is torn all the time.” The wall was no longer made transparent. Instead, after about half an hour, she silently slid to the side, revealing the entire officer staff of the Shipyard, who stood at attention. Only Tagobar Larnymyaskulus Werf, Borgax Fenigvisnoka, stood at ease, and even now his face seemed less purple than ever.

Edwin Peter St. John Magruder,” he said solemnly, “as commander of this ship, Nobile great empire and the representative of the emperor himself, we wish to offer you our sincere hospitality. Acting under the mistaken impression that you are a lower form of life, we have treated you unworthily, and in this we humbly ask your apologies.

Don't," Magruder said coldly. - Now you just have to descend to our planet so that your people and mine can agree, to our mutual satisfaction. He glanced over at them. - At ease. he added commandingly.

And bring my clothes.

What exactly would become of the ship and the aliens when they landed, he was not sure; will have to give the decision to the president of the planet and the government of the Earth. As the Wharf descended to the surface of the planet, its commander moved up to Magruder and asked in confusion:

Do you think your people will like us?

Magruder glanced at the Lie Detector. The detector was turned off.

Yes, they will fall in love with you! He was sick and tired of telling the truth.