What is cheating and why is it 'wrong'?

Answer 1

Cheating gives one person an advantage over another. In order to be fair we have to all be equal in opportunity, therefore let no one know anything more than a new born babe.

Answer 2

Activities have rules. Sometimes they are explicit, like in a board game or an athletic event, and sometimes they are implicit like in a relationship. It is usually understood that anyone who voluntarily plays the game has agreed to play by the rules.

If you do not, that is cheating.

Having an advantage is NOT cheating. If you choose to run a race against an olympic runner, he is probably not cheating when he annihilates you. You just suck compared to him.

By the same token, some people accuse others of cheating when they were not because they percieve an unfairness or assume a rule was in place that was not. That's when it helps to have an impartial third party to adjudicate about which implicit rules are actual rules and which are just misunderstandings or traditions which need not be followed.

Cheating is wrong because it causes a disconnect in the experience. If we run a foot race and I win by riding a motorcyle, we are no longer really playing the SAME game. Sometimes this involves deception, and the deceived naturally feel taken advantage of. Everyone is probably justified in feeling like they have wasted their time and effort.

It is wrong because it causes confusion, waste, distrust, and is often a result of intentional abusiveness.

Answer 3

Cheating , fundamentally , exposes the cowardice of the cheater. These people are , at heart , not sure of their win in a situation. Mentally they reconstruct the variuos steps in an action, a sort of "pre run" of the events and decide where exactly they can expect their competitor to be, at a point . . Then they try to play , initially , as per the rules to make the opponent believe that the games will be played fairly.

Then , all of a sudden , they pull the rug from under the feet. A cold , premeditated act which will appear to a random act.

This is cheating in whichever situation such cheating takes place. relationship, Affairs, games, friendship... you name it. It is right or wrong , who is to decide? if there is a referee to this act he/she can rule one way or the other. Otherwise the cheater will justify his action.

Answer 4

Cheating how? Cheating in things like games or on tests is someone having an unfair advantage because they're breaking the rules. If everyone cheated then no one would lose, see? It's only competition if you all have to abide by the same guidelines and restrictions.

Cheating in relationships is wrong because of dishonesty and disrespect. Humans mate for life and when you vow yourself to someone, to break that promise / restriction is disrespectful both to the partner and the vows they gave you, and vice versa.

Answer 5

Cheating is out and out dishonesty. Cheating is to swindle, defraud, mislead, delude or trick. It is wrong for the simple reason that people should not be treated so irresponsibly. Cheating has a twofold effect, it hurts the person being cheated and it diminishes greatly the character of the cheater. Anyone with a conscience knows this. Personal conduct should always be above reproach. Blessings on you.

Answer 6

Cheating as being tricky or cheating as an act of copying?

Cheating meaning being tricky is probably a very ancient behavior. Even apes cheat.. it comes with a large brain. A large brain probably gives you an awareness of being an individual, but remember we also need to live in a group to survive. This poses a paradox, because the cheater will always look for its personal well being, but in doing so he may detriment the society's well being. This is why most societies have enforced strict rules to prevent cheating. Therefore I would define cheating as the act of trying to better one's or one's group well being in detriment of another individual or group within a society.


Now for the "other" cheating: Cheating as an act of copying comes from our inherited primate instinct of "imitating". For thousands of years this was a very important skill to survive as a human being. For example, when some ancient human ancestor invented the first hunting tool, he was probably imitated by many individuals around him. Same with the discovery of man-made fire, the first pottery, agriculture and herding, and so on.

Humans and our ape relatives are pre-programed since they are born to imitate what is useful for our survival. It is only in the last 200 years or so, with the advent of patenting and public education, that we developed the concept of "cheating" as something wrong. If someone invents something in a capitalist society and patents it, he can get rich. This is a great incentive to keep on inventing new things. Also, studying hard and being prepared will get you through school, but if someone takes the easy path, which is "cheating", we assume that he will not learn as much as the guy who really did study. Therefore we as a society decided to punish this behavior.

Answer 7

Whenever one or more people get involved in a relationship of whatever kind they create an unwritten agreement of sorts. If and only if this agreement is broken, that is cheating and it is "wrong" only in the sense that you have made this informal agreement.
Now, notice that I said one or more people. This idea extends the relationship far beyond the traditionally conceived "one man/one woman" idea. I've know a married couple who are swingers. They both have their own relationship-agreement. Let's say for example there's this guy who meets this girl and they hit it off. He has toyed with the idea in the back of his mind to have a threesome with two girls. After talking with her he discovers she too has had the same idea, so they decide to act on it, involving a second girl who has the same idea (do you see what I'm getting at here). An actual relationship involving one man and two women (or however you wish to arrange it) can work ONLY if everyone involved agrees to that relationship (look at polygamy or polyandry). Once that agreement is broken however, voila!

Answer 8

What is cheating? As the bee's and flowers would be. To whom does a flower belong? To the eye? or unto it's own. When language takes the mind and eye like a bee to fly and pollinate whomever it so desires. we have crossed into the other kingdoms way of life and left behind our own. that is what's wrong with cheating. we are not residents of another kingdom but that of human form.

Answer 9

Cheating is a form of lying. Is being dishonest ok in your book? It is to say that I promise one thing and I do another. This breaks down trust. Do you want to deal with untrustworthy people? Do you want to be one?
For example....
I promise not to look at someone else's test in school and do my own work, but I peek over there for an answer I cannot get. I promise my wife that I will love only her and I have an affair. I write something and claim that someone else's work is my own and take credit for it.
Should I be held accountable for my actions? Of course I should.

Answer 10

Cheating is the concealed pursuit of selfish desires without regard for the cost to others. It's wrong because dishonesty is negative by nature. Cheating and dishonesty/deceit are synonymous. It is a negative behaviour, regardless of the "reasons" (AKA excuses) that the cheater may use to explain his/her behaviour. It boils down to the same thing: choosing one's selfish DESIRES over another's NEEDS.

Answer 11

Some view cheating in terms of an unfair advantage in a contested act. I don't define it as such. I see cheating as denying yourself the opportunity to achieve something using your own merits. To cheat is to break a governing rule of a system, by doing such you deny the success of your own capabilities.