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BIDDEFORD, Maine

David Livingstone Smith quoted on deception in sports in ‘Arizona Central Newspaper’ article

David Livingstone Smith, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, was quoted in an article about the prevalence of deception in the sports world, which appeared in the Arizona Central Newspaper on July 4, 2015.

The article discusses how commonplace lying and cheating are in sports, noting several instances of deception or possible deception on the part of players and coaches.

According to Smith, author of Why We Lie, the propensity to tell lies is not unique to athletes but, rather, is a universal human quality. “We’re born with the kinds of minds that very quickly figure out the advantages of misrepresenting reality,” he stated.

Smith argued that without the ability to lie, humans would have a difficult time functioning. “Just imagine going through one day where you are utterly honest about everyone, and they were honest about you… My god, it would be a nightmare. We would be at each other’s throats.”

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