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Articles

Lies, Damn Lies & Santa Claus

Joe Biehl argues that we have excellent reasons to believe in Santa.

A growing chorus of people to whom I will refer, if solely for the sake of convenience, as ‘Grinches’, proclaim the sad tidings: Santa does not exist. Furthermore, they say to encourage the belief that he does exist amounts to lying, and is therefore wrong. This is becoming a depressingly regular feature of the festive season; Each year brings with it some new article or opinion piece mirthlessly insisting on the moral culpability of parents who abuse the trust of their all-too-suggestible children. I would like to believe that these Grinches’ efforts go mostly unheeded, but we live in somewhat uncertain times, at least as far as our relationship to truth is concerned, so taking countermeasures against this misguided moral war against Santa seems prudent.

There are indeed important ethical ramifications to believing in Santa, but they are not what the Grinches suppose.

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