A Definition of Deceiving

Abstract

In this article I consider six proposed definitions of deceiving (that is, other-deceiving, as opposed to self-deceiving) and reject them all, in favor of a definition that avoids all of the objections to the previous definitions. According to this new definition, deceiving is necessarily intentional, requires that another person acquires or continues to have a false belief, and must involve the agency of the deceived person, and the deceiver must know or truly believe that the false belief that the other person acquires or continues to have is false.