CHEATING

Here understood to mean the use of fraud or deceit, or the violation of the rules of honesty, as, for example, in competitive games and examinations.

In amateur sports of a competitive type there is a tacit agreement on the part of the competitors to observe the rules of the game. Otherwise the whole purpose of the game is defeated, except in that kind of play in which the attempt to circumvent the rules is considered a part of the fun. Normally, therefore, cheating involves what fault there is in the violation of an agreement of this kind. The agreement would rarely be considered to involve a serious commitment on the part of the competitors, and consequently its violation would not be gravely sinful. This is not to say, however, that it is a matter of little consequence, for attitudes and tendencies can be developed by resort to petty dishonesty that can lead to graver offenses.

In professional sports there are frequently explicit standards of behavior required of the competitors. Because of the advantages to be gained by success, there is also an unexpressed agreement to follow the rules. It would be dishonest to break the rules, to resort to unfair practices, or to make an unjust attempt to control the score, especially when money is wagered on the outcome. A violation of rules if aimed at or seen as resulting in monetary loss to another would seem to be an offense against commutative justice.

The acceptance of admission to an educational institution includes a tacit promise to abide by the rules of the school. One can assume that there is a rule against cheating in examinations and in performing assignments, even if it is not explicitly mentioned. Cheating not only interferes with the proper operation of the grading system, which is considered essential to the educational process, but also with competition, which is a normal motivational device used by educators. Cheating also puts the honest student at an unfair disadvantage.

In some types of examination there is also a specific monetary advantage involved for those who succeed with special distinction, e.g., a civil service examination, examinations for scholarships, etc. In such situations an element of commutative justice is involved, and one who succeeds by unfair means deprives another of a valuable consideration. Cheating in these circumstances is not only a grave sin but could also involve an obligation to make restitution to the party or parties injured by the dishonesty.

Some educational institutions dispense with procedures of policing examinations and put the students on their honor not to cheat. The honor system as such does not add to the moral obligation of following the rules of the school, unless the students in accepting the system are understood to bind themselves by a special, though implicit, promise to abstain from cheating.

[j. d. fearon]