“If you see fraud and do not say fraud, you are a fraud.”—Nasim Taleb
No. Taleb’s quote is too simplistic. There is a difference between (1) committing fraud; (2) denying fraud where it exists; and (3) saying nothing.
Worse, it skips over a key component of fraud: intent!
I prefer the following framing: If a person sees evidence of fraud, they should reflect on (a) the probability of fraud (which involves assessing the intention to deceive!); (b) their range of responses; (c) the effects of each response; and (d) what this means for their overall moral assessment.
I realize my framing draws upon consequentialist reasoning, but I think many other ethical framings would still criticize Taleb’s claim for being overly simplistic.
No. Taleb’s quote is too simplistic. There is a difference between (1) committing fraud; (2) denying fraud where it exists; and (3) saying nothing.
Worse, it skips over a key component of fraud: intent!
I prefer the following framing: If a person sees evidence of fraud, they should reflect on (a) the probability of fraud (which involves assessing the intention to deceive!); (b) their range of responses; (c) the effects of each response; and (d) what this means for their overall moral assessment.
I realize my framing draws upon consequentialist reasoning, but I think many other ethical framings would still criticize Taleb’s claim for being overly simplistic.