Live data from Hacker News

YouTube Stars Being Paid to Sell Academic Cheating

bbc.com

141–150 of 354 posts

Re: YouTube Stars Being Paid to Sell Academic Cheating

#142
post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All of those points are also true of making a living by (e-)mail fraud, and the first two are true of almost any criminal enterprise.

The difference is essay writing service is not criminal.

Not everything legal is moral, and not everything moral is legal.

Re: YouTube Stars Being Paid to Sell Academic Cheating

#143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone that used to write papers for cheaters: it doesn't bother me much, because higher education is already eating itself alive in the US. The impact of a few students paying others to author papers on their behalf is nothing compared to the massive grade inflation one sees at top universities in the US.

> it doesn't bother me much, because higher education is already eating itself alive in the US. The ship is sinking already, so it's OK if I set fire to it.

Cheaters aren't setting fire to the sinking ship. They're escaping via unofficial routes-- ie. they are foregoing the life rafts.

Re: YouTube Stars Being Paid to Sell Academic Cheating

#144

I'm really disappointed by the downvotes that sithadmin, misterbowfinger, and I have been receiving in this thread. Let me restate the argument, not in favor of cheating but why it's not the moral issue that everyone makes it out to be: 1. Cheating is only an issue in the artificial world of academia, where it goes against how the system is supposed to work. 2. We only think it is a moral issue because it's been dril…

No this is a problem in the real world as well. If you are asked to do something but instead you pay someone else to do it, that is bad and you will get in trouble for doing it http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-21043693

Re: YouTube Stars Being Paid to Sell Academic Cheating

#145

I'm really disappointed by the downvotes that sithadmin, misterbowfinger, and I have been receiving in this thread. Let me restate the argument, not in favor of cheating but why it's not the moral issue that everyone makes it out to be: 1. Cheating is only an issue in the artificial world of academia, where it goes against how the system is supposed to work. 2. We only think it is a moral issue because it's been dril…

I disagree. Homework and exams have two purposes: 1. Help the student learn (by applying theory in homework and encouraging internalization for exams), and 2. Verifying that students have learned the material Cheating destroys both of those. A student can copy a solution to a general relativity problem, but that doesn't mean they understand it, and likewise they can obtain the exam before they take it and memorize th…

And why do we care in a real-world sense whether this student has cheated in general relativity? If that person goes to a physics lab, he would be found out eventually.

In a real-world sense, cheating hurts nobody except the person doing it, if even that.

Re: YouTube Stars Being Paid to Sell Academic Cheating

#146
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Morally this is wrong since cheating hurts everyone in education. Going to slap a big "NOPE" to this bit. It's the school's responsibility to educate and assess students, and therefore it's their job to reduce cheating. IMHO, if it's really easy to cheat on a test (mostly rote memorization), then students SHOULD cheat. It's a bad test and and insanely huge waste of everyone's time and money.

That's like saying "stealing isn't morally wrong - inventory control is retailers' responsibility and therefore it's their job to reduce loss".

What if some of the statement were true? We don't hesitate to close down bars and nightclubs where the patrons are regularly getting into fights, we prosecute people who leave their car key in the ignition and people who leave guns in plain sight. This kind of negligence encourages criminal behaviour, and that is something we don't need more of.

Re: YouTube Stars Being Paid to Sell Academic Cheating

#147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. Homework and exams have two purposes: 1. Help the student learn (by applying theory in homework and encouraging internalization for exams), and 2. Verifying that students have learned the material Cheating destroys both of those. A student can copy a solution to a general relativity problem, but that doesn't mean they understand it, and likewise they can obtain the exam before they take it and memorize th…

And why do we care in a real-world sense whether this student has cheated in general relativity? If that person goes to a physics lab, he would be found out eventually. In a real-world sense, cheating hurts nobody except the person doing it, if even that.

Sure, they might be found out when they fail their oral quals, but it would be much easier for everyone if there were a much faster way to find them out, such as a low grade from a school that strictly enforces anti-cheating policies.

Re: YouTube Stars Being Paid to Sell Academic Cheating

#148
post #93
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Often, the nuances of the real world defy simple syllogistic reasoning. This isn't one of those times.

Prove it. "Cheating" seems to have huge downsides, on the other hand it reduces friction inside of a rigid system. That is a net positive that stealing a TV from best buy simply does not have.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Market_for_Lemons

> "Suppose buyers cannot distinguish between a high-quality car (a "peach") and a "lemon". Then they are only willing to pay a fixed price for a car that averages the value of a "peach" and "lemon" together (pavg). But sellers know whether they hold a peach or a lemon. Given the fixed price at which buyers will buy, sellers will sell only when they hold "lemons" (since plemon pavg). Eventually, as enough sellers of "peaches" leave the market, the average willingness-to-pay of buyers will decrease (since the average quality of cars on the market decreased), leading to even more sellers of high-quality cars to leave the market through a positive feedback loop."

Re: YouTube Stars Being Paid to Sell Academic Cheating

#149
post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The students lied to their professor, he just sold them the text so I don't see any wrong doing on his part. Can you justify why it would be bad to ghostwrite ?

Cheating is immoral. Helping someone do something immoral is also immoral. Therefore, what he is doing is wrong. Do you disagree with the first sentence or the second?

I'm not sure what cheating means here, it is about lying to professors.

   Helping someone do something immoral is also immoral. 
Depends on the circumstances

Re: YouTube Stars Being Paid to Sell Academic Cheating

#150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> there isn't a pre-existing reference good that has a defined market value to counterfeit By your rationalization, it's impossible to counterfeit a painting.

Can you explain to me how you would come to that conclusion?

It seems increasingly likely that your customers got what they deserved.
Post reply on HN