Suppose you are going to say something that is literally true but you know in advance that your listener will misinterpret you and be led to believe something false. If you say it anyway, are you lying?
Conversely, is it a lie to say a falseshood if you know that, because you will be misinterpreted, this is the only way to get your listener to believe in what is actually true?

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March 18, 2009 at 8:09 pm
David Shor
I started University a couple of years early, so this dilemma came up particularly often.
“How old are you”
“I’m a senior”
“So you’re 22?”
“Well, most seniors in college are 22, no?”
The answer to the question “are you lying”, taken literally, is obviously no. The statement you made was true. However, the implicit question is “Was I doing socially acceptable?”.
Since you were deliberately misleading someone, I don’t see how it’s functionally any different from telling falsehoods. Most of the time it will be wrong, but there are exceptions when the deception leads to social good(Precisely when and where this happens, is subject to quite a bit of debate).