A half-truth, the central concept of this text, is a deceptive statement that includes elements of truth but also omits crucial information, leading to a distorted or misleading perception of reality. It is a common phenomenon in various facets of human interaction, including politics where it is employed strategically to avoid accusations of lying. In the realm of meme theory, a half-truth can facilitate the application of ideas, though it may lead to false conclusions. Selective truth, a type of half-truth, refers to the act of sharing parts of the truth which, despite being honest, does not represent the whole truth. This concept raises ethical and moral questions about deception[1] and lying. The text further explores different perspectives on half-truths and their implications, as expressed in various cultural sayings and quotes.
A half-truth is a deceptive statement that includes some element of truth. The statement might be partly true, the statement may be totally true, but only part of the whole truth, or it may use some deceptive element, such as improper punctuation, or double meaning, especially if the intent is to deceive, evade, blame or misrepresent the truth.