RE: Is Your Morality Being Manipulated?
I don't think that experiment was really a case of manipulating morals. Your morals are your morals and it can certainly take a certain amount of correct information to act according to your desire in that regard. This is more a case of manipulating someone through deceit. You can manipulate someone anytime you can successfully mislead them but this isn't really manipulating their morals.
Even the time magazine thing seems like it is jumping to conclusions. Time magazine's goal is to sell magazines. They will put different covers in different places if they believe that is what will sell in that location. Unless that cover is a misrepresentation of what is inside the magazine, I don't see it as manipulation and certainly not manipulating your morals. It's just a smart business decision to use a cover/story that appeals to your market. And not every Time magazine cover in the U.S. displays frivolity. I've seen the Time magazine meme around for a long time but has anyone ever asked them why they use different covers to see what they say?
I think people have an obligation to educate themselves so that they can not easily be misled but in the case of the chicken experiment, I'm not sure what the lesson would be other than don't trust anyone ever. Not sure that's a great lesson.
It turns out it's one of the only lessons. Good intent, no matter how good, still does not equal an unfailing safety net. Understanding the part that fallibility plays in trust is critical. Not giving in to cynicism or pessimism in the face of this is also integral to learning resilience. Every lesson can be great.
If you don't see it that way, then you don't see it that way. That is why I stated "some will view this as clever marketing."
The experiment was to show show morality. Then I went on to describe manipulation. Then I went on to describe the choice to be moral with the awareness of this.
The lesson isn't not to trust anyone, the lesson is morality, truth, and understanding. The power of thought and influence and an individual to be responsible with that power.