Hacker News Reader

Comment by xpe | Hacker News Reader

I've read the entire article. The cheating was rampant. This part, however, jumped out at me:

> At my most mystified, I proceeded to release a class announcement warning students not to plagiarize the academic integrity assignment.

To cheat on the very assignment that is giving you a second chance is ... stupid and/or brazen and/or pitiful.

So, why warn the students again? This was their second chance, right?

I'm open to many reasonable definitions of justice, ethics, and fairness. However, at that point, given the context, reporting the offending students seems the most just thing to do.

View on HN

You're right.

I am curious though what the frame of reference is for someone who cheats on the assignment where they promise not to cheat.

Perhaps there are people who make it through life with a sense of learned helplessness or even possibly a cultural mandate - basically, something that represents a higher authority to that person than the Western standard of justice, ethics and fairness.

I'm fully in favor of true justice, shared ethics and fair and compassionate treatment - that's a conversation for another time.

If that's not reality for that person, then to have a teacher attempt to engage with them seems more likely to have an impact on their success in a Western society. I'd guess that failing them and possibly expelling them would not.

I'm curious what you think?

> If that's not reality for that person, then to have a teacher attempt to engage with them seems more likely to have an impact on their success in a Western society. I'd guess that failing them and possibly expelling them would not.

An excellent point.

> I am curious though what the frame of reference is for someone who cheats on the assignment where they promise not to cheat.

It seems likely their notion of a promise is non-binding.

P.S. W.R.T. promises and ethics, Kant has an interesting point of view. For example: https://open.library.okstate.edu/introphilosophy/chapter/the...

>It seems likely their notion of a promise is non-binding.

They pledged it

Sure, and people make performative pledges all the time. See EULAs, and any other document which says "sign here to get the thing you actually want".

And that assignment was only 150 words!

Reply on news.ycombinator.com