The lie: illusion and deep truth in the social construct

Abstract

This article aims to reflect critically on the role of lying in modern society, understanding it not only as a moral deviation, but as a structural phenomenon that crosses subjectivity and social relations. From a theoretical-reflexive approach, the study articulates contributions of philosophy, psychoanalysis and literature, based on the works O Futuro de uma Ilusão, by Sigmund Freud (2024), Apologia de Sócrates, by Platão (2009), and História do Cerco de Lisboa, by José Saramago (2011). The text discusses how lying can manifest itself as an instrument of manipulation, protection strategy and symbolic mechanism of mediation between desire and reality. The method adopted is qualitative, bibliographic and interpretative-comprehensive, based on critical analysis of selected works and interdisciplinary dialogue between their authors. It is concluded that the lie, as a social and psychic construct, reveals paradoxical dimensions of the human condition: it can protect the subject from suffering, but also sustain systems of domination and distortion of truth. Thus, the search for deep truth implies an ethical and reflective exercise in view of the fragility of language and the complexity of human relations.