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| {{notable|date=November 2015}} | |||
| {{Neologism|date=November 2015}} | |||
| {{Refimprove|date=March 2014}} | |||
| A '''lie-to-children''' is a simplified explanation of technical or complex subjects as a teaching method for children and ], first described by science writers ] and ]. The word "children" should not be taken literally{{cn|date=November 2015}}, but as encompassing anyone in the process of learning about a given topic regardless of age. It is itself a simplification of certain ] in the ].{{Clarify|date=January 2015}} | |||
| Because some topics can be extremely difficult to understand without ], introducing a full level of complexity to a student or child all at once can be overwhelming. Hence elementary explanations are simplified in a way that makes the ] more understandable, though technically wrong. A lie-to-children is meant to be eventually replaced with a more sophisticated explanation which is closer to the truth. | |||
| Such statements are not usually intended as deceptions, and may in fact be true as a ] or within certain contexts. For example, ] is less accurate than the ] at high speeds and ] on small scales, but it is still a valid approximation to those theories in many situations. | |||
| A lie-to-children is sometimes referred{{by whom|date=November 2015}} to as a '''Wittgenstein's ladder'''{{cn|date=November 2015}}, after the Austrian philosopher ]. | |||
| ==Origin== | |||
| The term "Wittgenstein's ladder" stems from proposition number 6.54 in Austrian philosopher ]'s 1921 philosophical work '']'', in which he states that his propositions, when eventually recognized as nonsensical, can be used "as steps to climb beyond them".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://people.umass.edu/klement/tlp/ |title=Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus Side-by-Side-by-Side Edition |publisher=People.umass.edu |accessdate=2014-03-07}}</ref> | |||
| The term "lie-to-children" appeared in the book '']'' (2000),<ref>{{cite book | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| | first = Terry | |||
| | last = Pratchett | |||
| | authorlink = Terry Pratchett | |||
| | coauthors = ]; ] | |||
| | isbn = 0-09-188657-0 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| co-authored and partly based on ideas created by ], and in '']'' (1994) and '']'' (1997), both by the other two co-authors of ''The Science of Discworld'', ] and ]. | |||
| 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 can be understood as a ] extension of the literal sense, or as a self-demonstration, the early definition being a lie-to-children itself, implicitly refined to the "more accurate explanation" by its broader use later. | |||
| ==Related concepts and aspects== | |||
| The boundary is fuzzy between ] 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 have some degree of truth in a limited context (e.g., "You cannot find the square root of a negative number"<ref group=notes>This statement is true if one only considers the ] familiar from elementary education, but false if one considers the ].</ref>) while a misconception will often simply be wrong (e.g., ], ]). | |||
| The Buddhist version of Wittgenstein's ladder is '']'' (translated "expedient means"). Plato's version is the ]. While ''Upaya'' or the Noble Lie can be (as in Wittgenstein) teaching devices or stratagems to be superseded at a later stage; in many cases the laity only ever learns the ] doctrine, with only the elite ever learning the true ] version. | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| {{div col}} | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| {{div col end}} | |||
| ==Notes== | |||
| {{Reflist|group=notes}} | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{Reflist}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Lie-To-Children}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
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