David Livingstone Smith quoted in 'Forbes' article
On July 29, 2014, Forbes magazine published an article titled “Research Finds that (Some) Lies are Good for Workplace Relationships,” in which David Livingstone Smith, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, was quoted.
The article discusses two types of lies that are told in the workplace—anti-social lies that are meant to protect one’s self-interest to the detriment of others and pro-social lies, told to protect a co-worker or to make him or her feel better.
The article describes Smith’s theory, proposed in his book Why We Lie: The Evolutionary Roots of Deception and the Unconscious Mind, as to what causes people to lie in general. The ability to lie successfully, Smith explains in the book, has been a “selective advantage” in the human species, resulting in those unskilled at deception to die off.