"The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone — Especially Ourselves" by Dan Ariely asks a seemingly simple question — “is dishonesty largely restricted to a few bad apples, or is it a more widespread problem?” — and goes on to reveal the surprising, illuminating, often unsettling truths that underpin the uncomfortable answer. Like cruelty, dishonesty turns out to be a remarkably prevalent phenomenon better explained by circumstances and cognitive processes than by concepts like character.
Work like this is challenging traditional economics - the genre is 'behavioural economics'. My own take on this book and a lot of work from brain science and history is that we are at a tipping point in respect of the possibility of a human science. I'd like to see a broader literature take up this challenge beyond current drivel on black and white hats. So what are you guys reading? --
