MovieChat Forums > The Invention of Lying (2009) Discussion > Interestingly a world that cannot lie is...

Interestingly a world that cannot lie is a world without religion.

posted 11 years ago by user-153
5 replies | jump to latest

I see a lot of threads complaining about people being 'asshurt' (elegant turn of phrase) about movies that make fun of religion, or the protagonist's idea of life after death involving concepts similar to popular ideas of what 'heaven' is.

Both are wrong: this film does not mock religion, it mocks people's understanding. If you think 'heaven' involves everyone having their own mansion then you, my friend, are an idiot.

What is curious though is that a world without lies has no religion in it at all. Do Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson consider belief to be the same thing as knowledge? What are the implications of this? In what context can statements be made? What does 'true' mean - is it a priori, as the film makers seem to believe?

The reality is that the film is a bit of a mess, philosophically speaking. What we are left with is a funny idea explored in a bit of a rush in a film which needed a few re-writes before release.

[–] scarletminded 10 years ago

The world in the film does not have imagination or creativity either, that is why their films are just a guy reading history narratives. It is trying to prove a world without lying is boring. There is no religion, no fiction books, nothing whimsical.

[–] MacacoBanditi 9 years ago

The fictional world is very dull and boring and the writers couldn't find a way to make a liar make it funny. He could have lied his way to the White House, or to end wars, or all sorts of amusing situations. Instead he just sat in his mansion drinking beer with some other losers and being boring like everyone else. Gee. Waste of time.

[–] fluffchop 9 years ago

The world still couldn't lie, that never changed. He lied and laid down a religion. That's how religions get started. The people who are actually pure of heart get taken advantage of. They still couldn't lie.

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Scientologists love Narnia, there's plenty of closet space.

[–] Ratchapakinai 8 years ago

Well all religions are stories so in effect 'lies' so in this world it makes sense it doesn't exist. The bigger question you should be asking is why billions of people in the real world believe in what are obviously stories that never happened

[–] PaladinNJ (20324) 4 years ago

I think the premise is that the people in this film don't have faith. They only believe what they can see.