Comments on: Will vs. Grace – are people honest because they resist temptation or because they don't feel it?

By: materia: a conversation about thinking and art-making « MATERIA

materia: a conversation about thinking and art-making « MATERIA — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:55:58 +0000

[...] http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/07/14/will-vs-grace-are-people-honest-becaus… [...]

By: Isis the Scientist

Isis the Scientist — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:37:00 +0000

Dude, “Steve.” Just buy the paper for $30 and stop complaining like a douchecock.

By: MonkeyPox

MonkeyPox — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:48:21 +0000

HAHAHAHA! Steve, what a shameless fuckwit you are!!!!
Reminds me of the Lenski Affair, at least in the level of fuckwititude.

By: Ed Yong

Ed Yong — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:35:48 +0000

With the scientific community, you say? Well since your comment appears to criticise Greene for lack of transparency, it behooves me to note that, according to your email address, you are Steve Laken, CEO of Cephos Corp. Your website says:

Cephos provides comprehensive lie detection/truth verification services, using state-of-the-art technology that is unbiased and scientifically validated. We have offered expert testimony and have presented fMRI evidence in court.

You also appear to be using Greene's paper as evidence of the validity of your services, on the top of your list of "Scientific Industry Articles Regarding fMRI Lie Detection". And you can't imagine why he might not want to release his data to you? For interested readers, here are some links on the use of fMRI in lie detection from New Scientist, Jonah Lehrer and ScienceLine

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:11:04 +0000

Joshua Greene, who studies morality will not share the data from this publication with the scientific community despite it being funded by public sources. I have requested this data numerous times and he has refused to provide it. How can we trust a publication if the author refuses to share his work?

By: Toos

Toos — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 02:27:46 +0000

David, I’m surprised by your comment: my husband has Asperger. And indeed he is absolutely not manipulative! Eureka why I appreciate that so much.

By: David Harmon

David Harmon — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 04:09:20 +0000

Toos: An interesting point about accepting money.
There’s also one very interesting group of people who didn’t get mentioned in your article — people on the autistic spectrum have difficulty even learning how to lie! They’re significantly delayed in their ability to manage even social lies, with more severe cases being more-or-less unable to do so even as adults. They have similar difficulty in learning to recognize, not only outright falsehoods (including “white lies”), but sarcasm and “prank lies”.
And even as adults, folks fairly low on the autistic spectrum tend to have a deep dislike of, and reluctance to engage in, dishonesty. (The higher levels are often still unable to lie, and have great difficulty recognizing lies from others). I have NLD myself (roughly, “half an Aspie”), and willful falsehoods feel to me like a rip in the fabric of the world — something not just “wrong”, but fundamentally threatening. However, I’m pretty good at evasiveness, or just holding my silence. With some effort, I can manage misdirection.

By: Toos

Toos — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 01:47:41 +0000

Why [Mad the Swine, Richard Eis] so sure about honest people having low self-esteem as if that must be the only possible explanation? That isn’t tested by Green and Paxton! They do question themselves, but – according Ed’s PS – think of PERHAPS pride or self-doubt [seemingly among other possibilities].
I can only talk for myself, why – being honest – mentally reacting when having to accept money. If gaining, I woudn’t be sure if there wouldn’t got something claimed upon me, something unexpected [not agreed in advance] afterwards. Not a low self-esteem, but some mistrust in other people by having experienced such behavior often enough. So, not self-doubt, but realistic doubt about other people. Accepting, makes me more vulnerable to them. In contrast to when I am the one to pay [and they depend on my obliging and fairness].

By: Richard Eis

Richard Eis — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 08:59:24 +0000

Perhaps, given the last paragraph people who weren’t expecting to win (ie low self esteem) didn’t even try to cheat. They didn’t need to in order to fulfill their belief that they wouldn’t do well.

By: rgb

rgb — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 03:06:36 +0000

I’ve often thought there is a lot to this concept. It’s easy to resist something if it doesn’t interest you that strongly, and it’s certainly no reason to feel ‘superior’ or more moral. Everyone’s mix of temptations is different.
Even for myself, there are certain things that serve as strong temptations for some people which I have no trouble at all resisting (to be honest, because they provide less psychological ‘reward’), and to be equally honest there are some things that tempt me severely… passing them up is a real struggle.
Which category defines a person’s moral stand?