By Oliva Cobb
The Knowing the Future theme presents Dr. Glenn Dutcher on “Don’t hate the player, hate the game. The causes and consequences of strategic lying and sabotage” on Wednesday Feb. 24, at 5 p.m. in Ellis 111.
Dutcher is Assistant Professor of Economics at Ohio University.
This event is free and open to the public. Knowing the Future theme faculty are encouraged to attend. Refreshments are served at 5 p.m., followed by the lecture at 5:15 p.m.
Dr. Glenn Dutcher
Abstract: In our society competitions are set-up to identify and attract the cream of the crop in a population—they’re a way to figure out who is the best at something when the abilities of those competing is a priori unknown. But does this system create an environment where contestants are forced to falsely inflate their own performance (lie) or sabotage others (cheat) to win? Is it the system that makes liars and cheats, or do liars and cheats make up the system? The resulting data may illuminate whether contests bring out the worst in us or the worst among us. This lecture explores infamous acts of dishonesty that highlight these key concerns about contests based on relative performances whose rewards revolve around money, prestige, respect, or power.
Dutcher digs into the study of lies and the lying liars who tell them through controlled laboratory experiments where subjects have the option to lie and/or cheat in order to advance their own position. Understanding why people are playing with morality is a key step toward formulating rules that limit lies and slow down cheaters.
Comments