Chapter 1:

How We Believe

The Context of Our Character, Duke University

We like to believe that our moral character, the basis upon which we decide right or wrong, is more or less fixed and unchanging. But do our moral standards, and the choices upon which they are based, actually change from setting to setting? This is the unsettling question Duke professor Daniel Ariely considers in this video. Presenting us with scenarios in which we might find ourselves tempted to “cheat,” he makes a provocative argument about the malleability of morality. Daniel Ariely is the James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University. He is the author of several books, including Predictably Irrational (2008), The Upside of Irrationality (2010), and The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty (2012).

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDFl9WKVp68

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Discussion and Writing Questions

After watching The Context of Our Character, consider the questions below.

Discussion:

Writing: