This is why, according to one philosopher, you SHOULD tell your kids that Santa Claus exists

In the days leading up to December 25, it’s a question many parents will hear repeatedly: Is Santa Claus real?

Last week, an academic weighed in with the controversial claim that the cheerful gift giver is a “ridiculous lie.”

But now another expert insists parents should tell children Santa Claus exists because it makes Christmas better and encourages a dose of ‘healthy suspicion’.

In an article for the conversationTom Whyman, a philosophy lecturer at the University of Liverpool, argues that ‘children need Santa Claus’.

“Without that sweet finery, there would be no ritual of writing to him, of leaving out sherry and mince pies, of waiting desperately to see if ‘he’s been’ on Christmas morning,” he says.

‘What would Christmas be for the average child without the Santa Claus myth?

“A random date when they finally get to play with presents that their parents might have bought months in advance – what’s the point?”

Dr. Whyman also questions the implications of being ‘completely honest’ with a child from an early age.

“If I felt compelled to tell my children everything, I would have no qualms about telling them the miserable state of the world, of existence, of my deepening resignation that nothing positive can be done about it.” , says Dr. Whyman.

“When you think back on your first Christmas experiences, do you really think they would have improved if your parents had been honest about Santa?”

Meanwhile, Dr Joseph Millum, senior lecturer in philosophy at the University of St Andrews, believes parents should not tell their children that Santa Claus exists because it ‘damages trust’.

“In healthy parent-child relationships, children trust their parents,” Dr. Millum said in his own piece The conversation.

‘Young children can have absolute confidence. That’s why a lie as absurd as Santa Claus can persist for so long, even among otherwise skeptical children.’

According to Dr. Millum, parents often use the threat of Santa not leaving presents at Christmas as a tactic throughout the year to get children to behave.

But the academic calls this ‘manipulative’ and adds that ‘deception is wrong because it damages trust’ – a belief shared by many philosophers.

“Of course, young children don’t have the ability to make important decisions for themselves, but it’s still manipulative to tell children lies to get them to behave,” he says.

“It prevents them from deciding for the right reasons. This also means telling a child that he or she will not get any Christmas presents if he or she is not good.’

Dr. Millum adds that there is “no solid evidence” that believing in Santa Claus is important for enjoying Christmas as a child, and disputes what Dr. Whyman says.

In general, parents don’t have to worry too much about the psychological consequences of believing in Santa Claus, said Jared Piazza, a lecturer in moral psychology at Lancaster University.

“Children are constantly taking stock of what those around them believe – and actively assessing the uniformity of such beliefs to reach conclusions,” he previously said.

Santa Claus is based on Saint Nicholas of Myra, who, according to Christian tradition, was a bishop in that small Roman town in the 4th century AD.

He is tracked by the US military every year on Christmas Eve, while a recent study even calculated the carbon footprint of his journey.

Another celebratory investigation revealed that his sleigh could fly even without magic, albeit with a few technological adjustments.

According to a study published last year, the average age at which disbelief about Santa Claus begins is eight years old, but most children plan to celebrate Santa Claus with their own children later in life.

In an attempt to find out the truth, young internet users are turning to Google Search by asking ‘does Santa Claus exist?’

But last Christmas, Google was criticized for giving the Scrooge-worthy answer: “There is no man in the sky who rides a sleigh pulled by reindeer.”

The top response was a blog post from Hotel Chocolat, which stated that there is “no man in the sky who rides a sleigh pulled by reindeer,” although the company acknowledged that Santa Claus “is not a completely made-up person.”

Since the outrage, Google Search appears to have adjusted its algorithm to be more in line with the festive atmosphere.

Searching for the words “is Santa Claus real” leads to a message from Parade.com appearing as the top result, which reads: “According to historical records, Santa Claus is real.”

According to a 2019 report from Exam Paper Plus, 1.1 million children are told on Google Search that Sinterklaas is a fictional character.

However, it found that smart assistants such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are more thoughtful and creative when it comes to their answers to the question, neither confirming nor denying the truth.