LieBabyCryBaby wrote on Nov 24
th, 2006 at 11:28pm:
Actually, George, your credibility should be on the line here. If TryingToGetAJob attempts the countermeasures you advocate on this site, that would be a lie, since his/her mistakes probably apply to the relevant issues on the test. By saying whether or not he/she chooses to be honest to the polygraph, he/she should realize that the polygrapher won't be honest to him/her, shows how you rationalize the issue, George. You might as well just say, "Lie to the polygrapher because the polygrapher will lie to you," rather than dodge around the issue with a little sentence about how people in public service should be honest to the relevant issues.
As I mentioned directly to TryingToGetAJob, I think those seeking positions of public trust have a civic duty to answer relevant questions truthfully.
But there is every reason for those who are truthful on pre-employment polygraph examinations to employ countermeasures to protect themselves against the risk of a false positive outcome. Candor on the part of the examinee
does not entail candor on the part of the examiner, and if you refuse to acknowledge that, I submit that you're not being intellectually honest.
If I were to spin your remarks in a way similar to that in which you have spun mine, I might say that because you told TryingToGetAJob "For such minor errors, I suggest being honest and open" you implicitly were saying that had he/she committed more serious errors, you would then suggest that he/she
not be honest and open. But I don't think that's what you meant to say.
Can you see my point?