Lies We Tell Luminary

When Alex Gibney began investigating the idea of this series, he turned to Sam Harris for insight. Host of the Making Sense with Sam Harris podcast, Sam is a best-selling author, philosopher and neuroscientist. He is also the author of the book Lying.

Originally published in April, 2020.

A suspicious death. A letter from the grave. A murder trial. Over two decades of legal battles. A look at the complicated case of a poisoned woman, and the lie of believing we can ever tell “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

When a school aide tried out a new communication technique with a non-verbal autistic girl, everyone involved had only the best intentions. This is the story of one woman’s journey to make amends for the damage she caused by coming to terms with her own self-deception.

After two men lied, pretending to have served in the military to get out of jail, a Montana judge sentenced them to carry signs announcing “I am a liar” in some very unusual and detailed parole conditions. We examine the war between American values in cases of Stolen Valor.

Syed Arbab starts a frat house hedge fund that begins to spiral out of control and brings his life crashing down. Why do hundreds around him buy into the lie, and how in his own heart does Syed deceive himself?

When one man’s obsession to hold long distance race cheaters to public account goes viral, there are tragic human consequences. Sometimes bringing the truth to light has profound implications.