RSA ANIMATE: The Truth About Dishonesty

Are you more honest than a banker? Under what circumstances would you lie, or cheat, and what effect does your deception have on society at large? Dan Ariely, one of the world's leading voices on human motivation and behaviour is the latest big thinker to get the RSA Animate treatment.

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Produced and edited by Abi Stephenson, RSA. Animation by Cognitive Media.

[Napim]

There's a False Equivalency between walking from a restaurant without paying and illegally downloading music.

They would be the same only if the chef could take the meal and duplicate it as many times as he wants for little cost but then still demand the same amount of payment for each one. The matter isn't that people are pirating, it's that the supply of music has become infinite and therefore it's economic value has dropped to zero in the eyes of the consumer.

[danndan]

Summary: Our incentives and motivation massively impact the lenses through which we understand reality....and....don't ever let anyone give up believing in themselves. LOVE IT!!!

[Samarazone]

Interesting. I worked for a bank for 10 years. We were encouraged to misrepresent a product to the customers to make more money for the bank and the insurance company. I refused to do it, but was the only one who refused. I stated at a meeting that this was dishonest, and the man in charge told me to "Just do it." Still, I refused. They sent secret shoppers each month and wrote me up for not doing it. They tried to take away my yearly raise and I wouldn't do it. It's called having integrity.

[Jabberdau]

"I´m not downloading stuff...I´m fighting for FREEDOM!"

gotta remember that one

[kapa]

In the days before Internet,  people would borrow books, music cassettes, video cassettes from one another and no one raised so much hue and cry about stealing or copying of intellectual property. We were just sharing what we owned with our friends and people known to us. Often the books, music etc would go beyond our immediate friend's circle. 
Now,  in the age of Internet,  the sharing is on a much larger scale.  I upload to share and  thousands download. One maybe the lender or the borrower. How does the example  of dishonesty shown above fit in this scenario? Most religions encourage to share what we own with those who are not so lucky. 

[thebeany]

I love these RSA videos. They are very interesting to watch, plus they are very visual. The person who does all the white board drawing deserves an award. Dan Ariely is one of my favourties.

[michaelbush]

I feel very upset after watching this video. I think there are some dangerous beliefs inherent to it that are not intelligently questioned and scrutinized. For one, that the rules for transaction in our society (most prominently, one must have money to buy things) are fair and that to break these rules is morally reprehensible, "cheating" if you will. Two, that following conventional morality equates to "honesty" and acting with integrity. Three, that confession is the way to clear a slate, leaving out making amends to the people you've harmed. Four, that changing the way incentives work and kicking people out are somehow mutually exclusive (certainly not mutually reinforcing) actions. Five, ownership is a black and white concept - what's yours is yours and what's mine is mine. I feel very disappointed and discouraged thinking that this is what RSA Animate will continue to put out. I do not feel that this goes deep enough to pull out the real meat of what's happening. Maybe the book does, but this video does not leave me wanting to reach for it, mostly because I fear that there is some kind of agenda behind this, beyond intelligent discourse. It seems to me to have a bit of a bias toward keeping the Wall Street bankers in power running throughout.

[mikeking]

Each and every one of us has to deal with spiritual battles on a daily basis, no matter what our belief system is or is not. Your facts, observations and views are very refreshing, thought-provoking and enlightening. Well done!

[RainAngel]

are we ever going to get RSA animates ever again? There are tons of small RSA talks but I find them kind of boring without any images.

[vish]

I wish to congratulate the speaker on having come out with a wonderful analysis of modern behaviour.. He is absolutely on the dot with his reasoning..

[drewnut]

I'm pretty sure downloading data illegally is piracy and not theft. it is not the same as literally taking something tangible from another person which does cause direct harm to the other person who is losing something. if I made an exact copy of your car without doing anything to your car, I wouldn't be stealing your car

[The_Gallowglass]

It all boils down to a good person is someone who wants to share, but also needs to be able to survive, his or herself, and how to achieve this balance.

[AUSTINwazhere]

Two Cold war nations compete for dominance, both view the other as evil because of the many geopolitical boundaries between them. Both share the same motives, both logically should feel empathy for one another.

But, motivated not by greed, but by fear of the other, they constantly take action against one another. Escalating....

Developing weapons for their nation's defense, spying on their enemy, learning of their enemies new weapons development project, targeting spies in their ranks leaking intel on their own weapons development project, assassinating agents, and even staff members who may be associated with said project. Instigating political instability, Sanctions, threats, bribes, breaking every rule in the book, crushing insurrection, arresting rebels, exploiting corruption, while being exploited, execution, interrogation, torture... All in an attempt to preserve peace.

They are not evil, they are fighting for survival in a cruel world. But what they don't realize is that is the only motivation their enemy has to fight them in the first place.

This video looks at greed and morality, but fear is also a motivation. Our failures haunt us, and our inadequacy drives us to desperation. It instigates conflicts. Greed is not the only source for dishonesty or sin.

[pneumatonic]

yeah! This dude totally rocks! My head hurts 'cause it was tough keeping up with this auctioneer, but I totally dig the form and content of this message. This video is like what happens to a two hour lecture, after snorting like three eight-balls of speed. Maximum compression of silent moments in which to digest and reflect -- in fact, there seem to be few, if any at all. Well done, brilliant form and content! F.

[MitkoGeorgiev-shd]

I loved the video, but I disagree with the intellectual property example - unlike the product of a chef's labor, art is not lost upon consumption.

[zdrux]

I wish more people would listen to this little lecture and understand it is not the banks that are bad or evil, it is not the people or the human emotion of "greed" but rather it is the government which acts as a mechanism that allows for this bad behavior to take place. When the bankers don't have to worry about losing their jobs due to government funded bailouts, their motivation shifts from preserving their businesses, to trying more risky activities which lead to catastrophes.

[MitkoGeorgiev-shd]

Does a song's value decrease every time someone listens to it? And how would someone objectively determine the "value" of a work of art anyway?

[QuarterMan]

Dishonesty is only prevalent in a society that rewards it. 

[garychapman]

Okay, okay!  It's time I owned up and changed my life ... I was the one who downloaded Dan's book 20, 000 times  : |

[cathrynperfetti]

These shorts really grab peoples attention!  This particular one speaks to my dissertation in a fun and engaging manner.  THANK YOU!!