Magicians ARE NOT liars!

[Maaz Hasan]

How is it lying, if it is part of an art form? Would you say that a theater actor who pretends to be stabbed is lying? No

"We're loosing your signed card in the center of the deck" (even though it's at the top). Yes, this is a blatant lie. Almost everything Derren Brown says about his "psychological studying" or whatever as his method is a lie.

Just because some people lie doesn't mean that all people are liars, and vice versa. Yes, some magicians are NOT liars. At the same time, other magicians are.

And yeah, people do call out Hollywood for lying quite often...

 

[RealityOne]

How is it lying, if it is part of an art form? Would you say that a theater actor who pretends to be stabbed is lying? No

As an example, in Scarne on Card Tricks, the effects Calling the Cards and The Upside Down Deck both use a lie as part of the method. Some of my favorite effects using a lie as a method are Jim Steinmeyer's The Magician Who Fools Himself, John Bannon's Miraskill and Kirk Charles' You Pick My Card.

Exactly. Stories not only enhance the performance, but most of the time, it doesn't matter if it was a real story or not. As long as you say "Let me tell you a story...", it lets most people know it's fake, or true if it's a "true story". But it doesn't matter if it's real or fictional at that point.

However, when I tell stories about my Uncle Jim, my Grandmother's Tea Kettle, my Grandparent's House, my childhood lemonade stand... all lies. I don't even have an Uncle Jim.

A magician who says "and now watch as I push your card into the deck" IS making a statement, and it is an intentionally false statement. It is, by definition, a lie. The reason for the lie is irrelevant, it is still a lie.

Agreed. There also is an overarching "lie" in that everything we present is a deception in that we are presenting a false illusion of reality.

It's a matter of intent and environment as far as I'm concerned.

I think intent goes to whether it is a "good" lie or a "bad" lie. I don't see anything wrong with lying for entertainment purposes. I do see something wrong about lying to gain a financial advantage.