Lying is bad. Or, that is what I at least was grown up being told. As the reading pointed out, almost everyone has responded to the question “How are you?” by replying with “fine,” “ok,” or something similar. Odds are, however, you were not fine. You may have been amazing, but you did not want to make anyone feel bad by sharing the success that made you happy. Alternatively, you may have been having a crappy day but did not want to talk about it. Either way, you lied. Does that make you a bad person? Probably not. White lies are usually seen as, at the very worst, being morally neutral. While other types of lies, such as blue and red, skew more towards being immoral, there is no rule stating that one must be honest. 

The reading brings up the possibility that humans are genetically predisposed to lying. While it somewhat seems like a copout to cover up for humanity’s fondness for deceit, it does make sense. So long as they do not get caught, liars tend to do better daily. There have been countless stories about a fake prince/princess or wealthy heir/heiress that took advantage of their lavish image, despite being in heavy debt, to garner the favor of others. It does all come crashing down at some point. When the lie catches up with them, but up until that point, their life is good. To use an unpopular example, take COVID-19 vaccines. The lack of centralized vaccination eligibility requirements has created a loophole system that allows an individual who is motivated enough to acquire a vaccine ahead of their place in line by lying. Claiming residency in another state, lying about a medical condition (smoking is a common one to lie about), or lying about a profession have all been used to significant effect. Those individuals are, without a doubt, better off than those who have not been vaccinated. They are less likely to die, be in pain, suffer financial hardship, etc., than those who are not vaccinated. In this case, lying is morally wrong, but it worked. If homo sapiens are predisposed to lying, does that make all of us terrible people? I do not think so. I believe a more nuanced viewpoint is needed. Humans are likely predisposed to lie, but we must also recognize that the world is continuously evolving. While still highly effective, lying is not as needed as it may have been in the past. It does not hurt to lie a little, as long as one does not lie to himself that one is not being entirely truthful.