Dan Ariely: “Why Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law is a broken moral compass”

You think I’m kidding with the above title, but I’m not. Key quote from the noted social psychologist / business-school professor:

The assumption that the Ten Commandments can serve as a universal moral code is increasingly out of touch with contemporary American society.

I didn’t check out all the links in this article, but my guess is that Ariely’s problem with the 10 Commandments is that God signed the tablets at the bottom, not at the top.

Or maybe he didn’t like that commandment, “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,” which, when translated into the language of modern science, might imply, “Thou shalt not fabricate data.” Those damn commandments, always getting in the way!

P.S. You might say, why write about this? Why not just decorously look away. Well, remember what they say about dead horses. The Hill is a reputable publication, and they’re using their space to promote questionable work. I think this kind of thing is bad for science as a whole. It’s just particularly ridiculous when they invite someone with major ethical concerns about his research to be lecturing us on ethics. I do think mockery is appropriate here. It’s nothing personal. I just think of all the people in social science, working so hard and not pushing the ethical boundaries, working openly and honestly and with a sincere willingness to learn . . . and then this is what gets rewarded with publicity. I laugh because otherwise I’d scream.