According to Dan Ariely, an expert on human motivation and behaviour, rationalisation makes it very easy to be dishonest without feeling like you’re doing anything terrible. Moreover, good people doing good work who cheat a little bit do more harm than big cheaters. But, it turns out, reminders about moral codes, even when they’re not your own, result in less cheating, as does the chance to open a new page, such as through confessing or asking forgiveness.
videoMood and emotion
Blame lets you blow off steam, but it will rarely help you get at the truth
3 minutes
videoEthics
Can a lie ever be noble? Why Kant believed even a life-saving fib was immoral
2 minutes
videoMood and emotion
Kindness as self-defence – the power of ‘non-complementary behaviour’
8 minutes
videoEthics
Facts and reason are not enough. If you want to understand politics, look to morals
3 minutes
videoLogic and probability
Chew over the prisoner’s dilemma and see if you can find the rational path out
6 minutes
videoEthics
All’s not well that ends well – why Kant centred morality on motives, not outcomes
55 minutes
