This book covers the history of lying from the Garden of Eden to the Enlightenment, with one important exception: it does not chronicle specific lies or who said what or to whom. Rather, it addresses a fundamental, though straightforward, question: "Is lying acceptable?" It's an age-old question that accompanies us to this day, but it doesn't have the same meaning for us today as it did for those who lived during the Middle Ages, the Enlightenment, or the Protestant Reformation. Contemporary behavioral psychologists and evolutionary biologists say that deception is part of the very fabric of nature. Some plants have evolved to take on the form of insects, and some insects have evolved to look more like plants. The bolas spider, for example, emits a scent similar to that of a female moth to lure the male moth to its death. On the other hand, various species of baboons, gorillas, and chimpanzees engage in what might be described as “deliberate acts of deception,” deliberately misleading their peers away from banana-laden trees, then sneaking in unobtrusively and peacefully devouring the fruit. We humans are only slightly different, and evolution seems to favor those who are more adept at deception. We may not lie all the time, but we at least lie frequently. One study suggests that we lie at least three times during every ten-minute conversation, and we lie even more often when using email or text messages. Contemporary philosophers debate whether lying is moral, and whether the norms, aspirations, and laws of human society prohibit or encourage deception, but that debate simply assumes that lying is just one of the questionable behaviors we engage in.