# Rationalization Lets Dishonesty Feel Honest by Dan Ariely > “The ability to rationalize our dishonesty away is incredibly human and we need to think about how to fight this.” > **— Dan Ariely**, *Scientific American Science Talk, 2012* ## Sources and Context - **Interview recording and transcript:** [“Creativity’s Dark Side: Dan Ariely on Creativity, Rationalization and Dishonesty,” Scientific American Science Talk (December 25, 2012)](https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/creativitys-dark-side-dan-ariely-on-12-12-25/). This complete sentence appears in the program opening. Ariely discusses experimental cheating and the capacity to retain an honest self-image; his interpretation is not proof that every act of dishonesty has this mechanism. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Consciousness Continuity|Consciousness Continuity]] - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/Humans and AIs as Entangled Learning Systems|Humans and AIs as Entangled Learning Systems]] - **Article:** [[articles/Walking the Beautiful Path Through the Greatest Transformation in Human History|Walking the Beautiful Path Through the Greatest Transformation in Human History]] - **Wiki map:** [[wiki/Self-Deception|Self-Deception]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Dan Ariely|Dan Ariely]] - [[wiki/Self-Deception|Self-Deception]] - [[wiki/Human Animality|Human Animality]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “The ability to rationalize our dishonesty away is incredibly human and we need to think about how to fight this.” — Dan Ariely, Scientific American, 2012 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-dan-ariely-rationalized-dishonesty ```