Author: Joseph Millum, Senior Lecturer, Philosophy, University of St Andrews

For many children, the winter holidays centre on a lie. They’re told that every Christmas Eve, a jolly, elderly man visits all the children in the world. He pops down the chimney, leaves gifts (at least for well-behaved children) and then disappears unseen. Meanwhile, parents everywhere raise their children to be honest and fret if they start telling lies. For new parents, the myth of Santa Claus then poses a dilemma. Should you practice what you preach and tell your children the truth? Or is there something special about Santa that makes this lie OK? In a recent publication, I…