The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars: Cheating and Deception in the Living World

by Lixing Sun

A natural history of cheating from selfish genes to lying politicians

Nature is rife with cheating. Possums play possum, feigning death to cheat predators. Crows cry wolf to scare off rivals. Amphibians and reptiles are inveterate impostors. Even genes and cells cheat. The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars explores the evolution of cheating in the natural world, revealing how dishonesty has given rise to wondrous diversity.

Blending cutting-edge science with a wealth of illuminating examples―from microscopic organisms to highly intelligent birds and mammals―Lixing Sun shows how cheating in nature relies on two basic rules. One is lying, by which cheaters exploit honest messages in communication signals and use them to serve their own interests. The other is deceiving, by which cheaters exploit the biases and loopholes in the sensory systems of other creatures. Sun demonstrates that cheating serves as a potent catalyst in the evolutionary arms race between the cheating and the cheated, resulting in a biological world teeming with complexity and beauty.

Brimming with insight and humor, The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars also looks at the prevalence of cheating in human society, identifying the kinds of cheating that spur innovation and cultural vitality and laying down a blueprint for combatting malicious cheating such as fake news and disinformation.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Nature, Biology, Animals, Psychology, Audiobook

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 4, 2023

About the author

Author also writes under L.Sun

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Matrix: I Lied

I thought that this was a pretty interesting book on liars in nature throughout various animals.

I was specifically interested in learning more about liars in nature after reading some other books on animals over the last few years.

This book went into some detail on some really interesting animal traits and how they fight for things like mating or food.

It did also dive in towards the end into big government and other such things which I thought was a bit of a departure from the subject matter but it was still interesting

Also went into some good detail about placebos and other medical interesting facts

I also found the bits about confidence and overconfidence and risk very interesting

It also did a great job at looking at corruption and the implications and negatives that it has on society as well as election interference and political cheating.

4.0/5

[Peter Tillman]

Elizabeth Kolbert's review at the NYer is the one to read:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...
Excerpt:
"Blister beetles belonging to the species Meloe franciscanus, in the American West, practice an elaborate, sex-dependent form of kleptoparasitism. Newly hatched Meloe franciscanus larvae hang out together in clumps and collectively emit chemicals that attract male bees. When a male tries to mate with the clump, the larvae attach themselves to his back with special hooks on their feet. If the male is later lucky enough to find an actual mate, the larvae relocate to her back, hitch a ride to her nest, consume the pollen she has gathered, and, for good measure, eat her young."

[J.A. Ironside · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio ARC provided by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Narrator was great, adding nuance and gentle humour to a fairly hefty topic.

This was a brilliant book. If you've ever wondered what margin of advantage there is in animals and plants' ability to deceive, this has the answer for you. From orchids which mimic the scent of mating female insects to attract pollinators to the complex social structure of Bonobos and the disadvantage of being only stronger and more powerful (in that matriarchal group of great apes, muscle heads get skilfully manipulated by everyone else and therefore come off worse), this book has you covered. It built on knowledge I already had and introduced me to new ideas before drawing parallels with human behaviour. Absolutely fascinating. I'll definitely need to reread a physical copy.

[James Biser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a good read about the natural history of deception. It discusses the strategy of birds like the cuckoo and cowbird that lay eggs in the nests of other bird species that go on to raise the young of intruders. It also discusses human examples of criminals that make a living of deception. It is an educational read.

[Renato · Rating 5 out of 5]

As somebody who had taken both animal behaviour and psychology courses in university (and then had forgotten most of it as my disciplines had changed) this title was a great blast from the past.

I think readers here should do a quick article read on Richard Dawkin's The Selfish Gene to benefit and pre-align with certain aspects of this title.

Lixing Sun does an excellent job of speaking to the lay person here, with only the sheer amount of information being provided the only quirk that may scare off a casual reader from this title. (I went into student panic mode that I was not retaining 100% of all of his wonderful examples).

Lixing is clearly a primary and currently active researcher in the field, and the personal recounted stories regarding his own reserarch are appreciated.

The basis of the book is that organic life is a ongoing fray of competing organisms looking to 1-up each other in any possible way. He breaks this truth down to two 'laws':
1st law : Animals cheat by falsifying honest information in communication for their own interest - the biological essence of lyin (i.e.animals using vocal signals of a predator to scare off competition or other predators - like parrots)
2nd law : Deceptions that exploit cognitive loopholes in the cheat target (i.e. plants with flowers that look like bees to get other bees's engagement to better maximize pollen distribution).

Despite the above laws, he does not see this as a never ongoing arms race between cohorts of the same species (or differing species), and does also make an argument that 'honesty' is also an adaptive tactic that also works.

Definetly required reading for those studying this professionally.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a bit of an odd book in that it blends two genres. It's half ethology (animal behavior) and half psychology. Yet, somehow... it mostly works?

I enjoyed the author's writing style. It was very readable with just the right amount of science and casual, anecdotal prose. I very much like it when the author comes up with patterns and themes that are threaded throughout the book. It gives the book a less disjointed approach that creates a nice narrative flow. This is important in nonfiction, which can be difficult to finish at times.

He has a theme of two ways of deception: a) Messing with communication and b) taking advantage of cognitive biases or sensory gaps and he carries it through the whole book from how animals hide from predators or prey on other animals, or how they gain mates.

The second half of the book delves into imposters, self deception, the role of deception in society as a whole, and how to better the harmful lies in society. I expected to be bored in these chapters since I prefer the animal behavior chapters, but I was surprised when I was not. It was pretty engaging. The author did not hide his distaste for the downfall of American democracy via misinformation campaigns propagated by extremists. I appreciated that because I always like nonfiction where the authors state their opinions instead of writing like an encyclopedia.

In summation, L. Sun is a good writer. He doesn't bore you to tears with convoluted side bars, he's honest, and his book wasn't too overly long. One thing I will mention: the Kindle version of my book had a lot of images that simply did not appear (just a caption). This happened with all the versions of Kindle, so the publisher should re-issue the book. I don't really have any other major critiques. I enjoyed this one.

[K-la Hugie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars held so much new and interesting information. It was such a diverse roundup of stories on the liars seen in nature. There is no way to read this book without learning a plethora of new things!

I enjoyed this book for the most part. The audio was particularly delightful because the narrator did such a great job at reading the book in both an informative and very enthralling way. Which is a feat for a nonfiction, science-based book!

The author jumps around a lot. Honestly, this should have been two different books, because it goes from animals and how they cheat the system to politics. I really was not a fan of the politics. As a scientist myself I definitely agree with the adage "What do you get when you mix science and politics? Just politics." It was just a bit too disjointed, going all over the place. I really would have enjoyed if this book would have stayed away from the politics and just focused on lying in nature.

If you like learning new and interesting things or you enjoy hearing about peoples opinions on politics, then this book is for you. I am glad that I read it, but it won't be one I read again. If you want to get the nature portion and some interesting aspects on how humans lie without the politics, then listen to the first 60% of the book and the last 15% of the book.

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book that looks at how organisms lie and cheat to deceive others and gain an advantage. This lying is not planned; it arises by evolution by natural selection because any organism that gets ahead by lying would pass on its genes to future generations of liars. The author then ties in this lying in nature with the nature of human liars, showing that while people may knowingly cheat, the reasons for human lying are still the same: to get an advantage over another person.

The author first shows that lying and deception occur at all levels in nature and is done by many organisms, whether they may be animals, plants, bacteria, fungi, viruses, or even genes. And this lying is a driver for evolutionary change: if lying did not benefit an organism, it would not be passed on.

Lying naturally arises when animals communicate with other animals to get better access to resources. Cheaters can benefit by communicating false information that give them better access: like sending an alarm call to make others flee while it goes for food. Getting or prevent access to females is a reason for male animals to cheat. Cheaters can also bluff to intimidate rivals. But there is a trade-off: too much cheating might lead others to discount or ignore the cheating signals (like in the story of the boy who cried wolf too many times).

Deception can work because it is exploiting loopholes in the perception or behaviour of others. Acts like playing dead work because some animals prefer live prey. Feigning injury can cause a predator to chase the wrong kind of prey (ones that can later escape). Mimicry is another deception that can be used to either attract prey or to hide from predators. So is camouflage. These deceptions cause evolution to act to counter them, leading to an evolutionary race between deceivers and deception countermeasures.

Despite all these deceptions, it is still possible for honesty to arise. This is possible if the cost of cheating is higher than the cost of sending an honest signal. Animals can regulate behaviour, such that sending a false signal would result in punishment. Differences in males and females requires different kinds of honest signals. Females need access to resources (to produce and raise young), while males want access to females. One result of this is that while most females may be socially monogamous, they may not be sexually monogamous (to get access to a more sexually alluring male). For males, being more sexually alluring may mean sending an honest signal by handicapping themselves to prove their worth: like the tail of peacocks or the antlers of stags. For humans, this can also mean producing new works of art or acquiring items of worth.

One way females can cheat on resources is by making others raise their young. This brood parasitism is practiced by cuckoo birds and other animals, leading to countermeasures to prevent it. This will spur the production of new traits and behaviours, based on the need for cuckoos to continue cheating and for their victims to detect this cheating behaviour.

After showing how cheating works in nature, the author looks at cheating among humans and shows that our cheating behaviour comes about naturally for the same reasons. We cheat to get better access not only to resources, but also to increase our reputation or status. Humans are unique in that cheating can be institutional: people free ride at work to get paid for doing nothing, for example.

Humans can also deceive themselves, as shown in the Dunning-Krueger effect (where many people over-estimate their abilities). This happens because lying requires a larger cognitive load in humans (needed to keep 'the story straight' when lying). Self-deception is a way to reduce this cognitive load: by believing your own self-deceptions and lies, it can make it easier for other to believe your lies. Lying to yourself is also a way that placebos and alternative medicine works, but the benefits here depend on the person. But self-deception can also lead to over-confidence and cognitive bias against information that does not agree with the self-deception. Being humble and self-critical can counteract bias, and lead a person to have a better grasp of reality.

The author then looks at how we can live in a world when lying is normal. It turns out that in a society, honesty is more about social norms. While we should be personally honest, we do need to tell the occasional lie (white lies) for society to keep functioning, and for people to have socially acceptable behaviours. Thus, while lying can never be eliminated from society, it is possible to educate people to detect certain lies (like scams and frauds) that are not socially acceptable.

[Jenn Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of this was really good - my interest began to taper off a little bit in the last bit. This isn't JUST about non-human animals, the author does delve into deceptive behaviors in humans too. I do see how both are "the living world" and are interrelated, but that part felt rushed and like it could have been its own entire book.

Summer Reading 2023: Learn about Nature

[Halley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating dive into deception—in all its forms—throughout nature. This book goes beyond camouflage, discussing the different chemical, visual and behavioral ways that animals cheat. (“Cheat” is used to refer to all lying/deceptive behaviors, not just sexual as humans use the term.) Learn about cuckoo birds parasitizing nests and how other birds are trying to stay one step ahead. Learn how cells are sending deceptive chemical signals. Learn about the types of lies we humans engage in, including self-deception. It’s all so much more widespread than we think, and has evolved over millennia over and over. This book is also easy to read, and can be enjoyed by non-scientist readers.

[Amelia Durham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It really answered many questions I’ve thought of over my lifetime and more that I hadn’t. It’s one interesting fact after another relating to the animal kingdom which eventually leads into human behaviors. It’s seems even like there is even more research to anticipate on the subject and I hope that Lixing Sun writes a follow up. I will definitely be reading it.

[Brian Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have lots of respect for the author choosing such a broad scope for this book. The first 5 chapters described cheating and liars in the animal world. The stories were interesting and the photos helpful. He proposed and explored in animal & in human examples of 2 laws of cheating: 1. Alter truthful information in communication and 2. Exploit cognitive loopholes. The last 3 chapters dealt with cheating in humans.
He used the non-human evolutionary adaptations to cheating to describe an “arms race” where the cheated develop better cognitive abilities to recognize that they are being cheated. He then applied this to cyber security and adaptation of digital systems to contain disinformation. I found this perspective informative. He also reviewed several classification systems that humans proposed for lies (see law 1 above) or deceptions (more like law 2 above). He proposed a simple classification system and covered how to contain anti social cheating.
I recommend this book to those who like non-human biological behavior. That’s the author’s fundamental strength. He is also good at research and brought lots of information into every part of the book. All of the text presented scientific research in an easily accessible ways.
I think the last 3 chapters of this book opened a door for me to look for more carefully researched text about containing disinformation without violating the US Constitution’s First Amendment. E.g., I would like to see similar level of research applied to teaching students to contain lies or how to assess the effects of what I’ve heard politicians describe as aspirational statements.

[Samy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio version.

Really fun! Likely will listen to it again sometime.

[Stefan Cristian · Rating 4 out of 5]

The moral stance on lying and deceiving has stopped us from closer observing the phenomenon and understand its role both in evolution and in human nature. The books takes a scientific approach and walk us through different types of deceit, giving examples from a wide varieties of species. It was an interesting read although at times it fell a bit short in the conclusions. All in all would definitely reckoned for a fresh perspective on the matter.

[Royal · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent book. Unfortunately, he needed some fact checking. When the author delves into human frauds he holds up Frank Abagnale Jr as this amazing ultimate fraudster. But Frank is a double fraud. Journalists have been reporting on this for quite some time. He was not half a successful scam artist as the book or the movie Catch Me if You Can claims. Most of Abagnale 's feats were wholly made up. He was a crook he just wasn't half as badass as he made himself out to be.

[Neal Bombardier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book that is very entertaining and informative throughout. Definitely ranks amongst my top nonfiction books I’ve read.

[J Kromrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC (audiobook format, although review applicable to either audio or text format).

The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars is an audiobook by Lixing Sun, a professor of biology at the University of California, Berkeley. I found it fascinating, not only in the context, but also in the ideas it can promote. An enthusiastic 5 star review from this humble reader - now let me tell you my reasons for this high rating.

This book explores the evolution of cheating in the natural world, revealing how dishonesty has given rise to wondrous diversity. It blends cutting-edge science with a wealth of illuminating examples, from microscopic organisms to highly intelligent birds and mammals, to show how cheating in nature relies on two basic rules: lying and deceiving. He demonstrates that cheating serves as a potent catalyst in the evolutionary arms race between the cheating and the cheated, resulting in a biological world teeming with complexity and beauty.

The book is divided into three parts: The Liars of Nature, The Nature of Liars, and The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars. In the first part, Sun introduces the concept of cheating and its prevalence in nature. He explains how cheaters exploit honest messages in communication signals and use them to serve their own interests (lying), or exploit the biases and loopholes in the sensory systems of other creatures (deceiving). He gives examples such as possums playing possum, crows crying wolf, amphibians and reptiles being impostors, genes and cells being selfish replicators, and bacteria being quorum sensing agents.

In the second part, Sun delves deeper into the mechanisms and consequences of cheating. He discusses how cheaters can be detected by honest observers or detectors, how cheaters can evolve countermeasures or adaptations to avoid detection or punishment, how cheaters can cooperate or compete with each other through deception or manipulation, how cheaters can influence social behavior or cognition through deception or persuasion, and how cheaters can affect ecological processes or outcomes through deception or exploitation.

In the third part, Sun applies his findings to human society. He examines how cheating is prevalent in human culture and politics, such as fake news, disinformation, propaganda, frauds, scams, plagiarism, piracy, hacking, phishing, identity thefts etc. He also explores how cheating can spur innovation and creativity in human fields such as science fiction writing, art, music, sports, business etc. He also lays down a blueprint for combating malicious cheating such as fake news and disinformation by promoting truth-telling, critical thinking, media literacy, civic engagement etc.

The book is written in an engaging style that combines scientific rigor with humor and anecdotes. It is suitable for anyone who is interested in learning more about the fascinating phenomenon of cheating in nature and its implications for human society. It is also a valuable resource for students who are studying biology or related disciplines such as psychology, sociology, philosophy etc. The audiobook is narrated by David Sedaris , a renowned humorist who brings his wit and charm to life to every page.

I enjoyed listening to this audiobook because it was informative yet entertaining. I learned a lot about how nature works through deception , but I also had fun listening to Sedaris' humorous commentary on various topics related to cheating. This book is a great way to start a conversation about truth, honesty, ethics, morality and justice.

I highly recommend this book to just about anyone (especially those who enjoy science fiction writing, art, music, sports, business, and so on).

Also I recommend this book audio and text, to anyone interested in challenging their own assumptions about reality.

[Stephen Sorensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was overly simplistic in defining types of deceit and in its takeaways. The author also doesn't seem very familiar with the larger field of deception studies literature outside of deceit in the animal world. That said, Sun offers a wealth of good information on deceit in the human and non-human realms.

Short Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Cheating between same species
3. Cheating between not-same species
4. Cheating for reproduction
5. Cheating and counter-cheating in humans and non-humans
6. Cheating in humans
7. Self-deception in humans
8. Living with and Countering Deceit

Sun proposes two "Laws of Cheating" which are poorly defined and ultimately are just one law, which is the exploitation of cognitive systems. I'm not sure how well this even maps to smaller organisms like bacteria and cells. I'm guessing the Laws are meant to not be Laws in the scientific sense and are called that just to give them a scientific veneer. Ironic if so.

On page 139 Sun delineates the difference between lying and deception but neither term is defined well and the semantics of deceit have been covered much more thoroughly in other works, like the one listed in the paragraph after this. Bottom line is, all lies are deceptions but not all deceptions are lies. He then continues to say that regardless of any differences in the words lying and deception, he's going to continue using cheating synonymously with them both.

From his own field he didn't pull from or cite some of the major works, such as Mitchell & Thompson's 'Deception: Perspectives on Human and Nonhuman Deceit'. He cites some short articles from Byrne and Whiten but not their books 'Machiavellian Intelligence' and 'Machiavellian Intelligence II'.

From outside the animal world, he does cite what is arguably the most important work in deception and deception detection theory out right now, namely Levine's 'Duped: Truth Default Theory and the Social Science of Lying and Deception', but it's used by Sun in such a way that next to nobody is going to realize the significance of this work. Even though he cited this, he still made the blunder of saying cheaters only cheat for resources (p.133). A closer reading and integration of Duped could have increased the strength of the arguments and information provided in The Liars of Nature.

Another important work, one that was missed entirely but is completely relevant to Sun's goal of offering a way to handle deceit is Greifeneder et al.'s 'The Psychology of Fake News: Accepting, Sharing, and Correcting Misinformation'. In this work we learn more about how we as humans decide what is true and false and what we can do to safeguards ourselves against getting fooled. It's another work that would have increased the strength of the arguments and info in The Liars of Nature.

Overall it was fun reading about deception in nature, but I think the author could've spent more time learning about the larger field of deception studies before writing this book. Maybe a second edition will be released where the core arguments have been strengthened.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A four-star reviewer called this half ethology and half psychology, and I'm stealing.

On that? I'll go 3.5 on the ethology and 2.5 on the psychology for a 3-star rating.

Sun cost himself a star for sure on the latter half, on the self-deception chapter.

There ARE things wrong with alt-medicine, even if the placebo effect in a particular case of alt-med is a good.

First, there's the amount of money people pay for this, which is itself a harm. If Sun can get the alt-med people to charge less? I snark a bit.

Second, there's the fact that belief in alt-med is of a piece. If one treatment doesn't work, you try another.

Third is that, especially as incorporated in New Ageism, an unconscious placebo effect becomes translated to "faith" or lack thereof.

Fourth, taking a term from his final chapter, most alt-med treatments aren't promoted as placebos, and even more, aren't believed to be placebos by their practitioners. Especially on either the money issue, or if there's an insistence on "faith," or that alt-med has to come before actual medicine, then this is NOT "pro-social cheating." It's either "anti-social cheating" or "self-serving cheating."

On the Dunning-Kruger effect? Recent new research says it's probably overstated, if even very existent at all. In fact, this piece indicates claims for a robust DK could themselves be seen as a bit of sneering which itself might be based on overconfidence. That said, others argue that it still exists, but that it's not more extreme at lower levels of general knowledge. Sidebar: Per this piece, the original DKE study also is plagued by the bugabear of research psychology — small sample size.

The ethology side wasn't bad, and there were new bits of information to me, primarily from the insect world. But, on the big picture, nothing earth-shaking.

[LilasLibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Who knew cat pee could make a male more macho?

This was such a fascinating and unexpected listen!

Lying and cheating has always been something that grinds my gears, but alas, the world is full of it. More full of it than I knew. But not in a bad way. Maybe more in a wondrous way, dare I say, even in an impressive way? I think this was partly due to the somehow both comforting and disconcerting revelation that cheating and deceit isn’t an exclusively human capability or phenomenon. In fact, it was probably quite an arrogant assumption given the relative youth of our species.

In this book, Lixing Sun takes us through some truly mind-blowing and spectacular feats of deceit. Sun offers a fresh and lively yet scientific perspective I had yet to recognise or appreciate. That cheating functions as a mighty impetus for creation with relation to diversity, complexity, and beauty in both social and cultural spheres of life.

Admittedly, the more political, human-focused section of this book did feel like a bit of a departure from the first part, however, I actually really appreciated it. I thought both parts were equally compelling, and so the slight switch-up was just refreshing in the end.

I would have loved to get my hands on a written copy of the book to see some of the visuals that were referenced, however, not being able to see them didn't cause any issues.

Shout out to Jason Vu as well for his excellent narration. He was engaging and an overall delight to listen to.

Highly recommend, I’ll be thinking about this one for a long while I think.


Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Maileen Hamto · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars" is a captivating book for evolutionary science nerds and philosophers alike. Unveiling his biology, psychology, and economics research, Lixing Sun takes a sweeping view of how living beings – from single-celled organisms to humans – use communication and cognitive maneuvers to alter the perception of reality to promote their self-interests. Sun shares numerous examples of how lying, cheating, and counter–cheating are found in all life domains. Building his case through evidence in animals, plants, and even fungi, Sun turns the mirror to our own species and probes important queries about human intelligence, morality, nature, and the perils of social life. The world would be so dull without liars and cheats.

This is an excellent science book that is accessible to a mainstream audience without subject-matter expertise in behavioral and cultural evolution. Sun draws from multiple disciplines in exploring the phenomena of deception in the context of self-preservation and innovation. The evidence presented about cheating in humans breaks down the rationale behind and effects of egregious criminal acts and political machinations. Even as humanity’s collective moral compass frowns upon utter disregard for widely agreed-upon conventions through selfish pursuits, we improve upon social, economic, and cultural norms by emphasizing mutually beneficial outcomes.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read a lot of books about animal behavior and I was utterly surprised when I learned how lying and cheating is not exclusive to humans. This book takes a detailed look into that facet of plants, animals and even fungi, from one-celled organisms to vertebrates. As much as I read about animal behavior and even if not all the facts were completely new to me, this was a goldmine of information about the reasons for lying. Some of the explanations are mind-blowing, and I truly enjoyed this first part. The final chapters were interesting. Despite them being devoted to my least favorite animal, the ugliest apes, I enjoyed learning about why we lie and cheat. Some parts were overtly political, which I was not expecting and I don’t really care for. I liked Jason Vu’s audiobook narration, his voice is smooth and soothing. The style is approachable enough for even younger readers. Fascinating!
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Tantor Audio!

[~☆~Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not finished yet but typed up a very interesting fact from this book but it would not post and now all my hard work is gone! This book is not a quick read. I will probably read it twice as it is so interesting.

Nature is rife with cheating. Possums play possum, feigning death to cheat predators. Crows cry wolf to scare off rivals. Amphibians and reptiles are inveterate impostors. Even genes and cells cheat. The Liars of Nature and the Nature of Liars explores the evolution of cheating in the natural world, revealing how dishonesty has given rise to wondrous diversity.

Blending cutting-edge science with a wealth of illuminating examples—from microscopic organisms to highly intelligent birds and mammals—Lixing Sun shows how cheating in nature relies on two basic rules. One is lying, by which cheaters exploit honest messages

[Chantal Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book packed with scientific trivia! As a somewhat seasoned reader of natural history and pop science, a fair bit of the content was familiar ground for me, but there were still one or two places where my mind was blown.

Lixing Sun undertakes a comprehensive and lucid exploration of how organisms in nature deceive and cheat each other, whether to secure resources or one's genetic legacy. Sun threads in the occasional personal anecdote, which is always welcome - although I would've been keen to learn more about his research, which he only focuses on once in the book.

I wasn't so keen on the second half of the book which focuses on lying in human society, but the first half more than makes up for this.

[Yui Nguyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first 5 chapters. I love how he began every chapter by journaling about his field trips and the exotic landscapes of the untouched regions. The second part, about the nature of liars in human society, started with a rough transition. As it developed, this part did not relate much to the first in terms of content and writing style, which was demotivating. The second part is filled with anecdotes and research whose context is oblivious, which is nothing the same as the first. I guess the author wanted to underscore the juxtaposition of nature and concrete. Also, though the title sounds welcoming, I suggest others read about bioacoustic before this book. Wholesome imagination awaits you!

[Codepoetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first half of this book is a survey of different plants and animals that exhibit deceptive biological behaviours and attempts to explain why deception provides an evolutionary advantage. The second half delves into human psychology and analyzes why people lie, cheat, and deceive both others and themselves. Although the basic answer to all of these questions is obviously Darwinian fitness, I still learned a lot from this fascinating science book.

[Annemiek Heuvel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me realize that cheating and deception is from everyday. It is seen everywhere in the animal world. So it should not be surprising that we see it in our human world.
Reading this book made me realize that deception and cheating is not an abnormal behaviour. What counts is the level of deception and cheating in our human world.
I owe Lixing many thanks because he made me change my view on cheating and deception.

[Lexi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting at many points, but I found the content to often be repetitive or not as detailed as I would like regarding mimicry, cheating, and deception in the animal world. Additionally it had a lot more content on humans than I expected and was disappointed by the constant focus on people, governments, and cheating for economic and personal gains. It had good moments but I was hoping for more novel information

[Antonio Coelho · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apesar do mérito que reconheço no conteúdo do livro, o facto é que não foi capaz de gerar um grande interesse da minha parte.
Começa pelas leis do engano no mundo animal, bastante interessante, mas os inúmeros exemplos dados, se cientificamente relevantes, para um leitor comum, tornam-se excessivos e desencorajam a leitura.
Os 3 últimos capítulos já levados para o ser humano têm o mesmo prolema. Apesar de bastante interessantes, são, uma vez mais excessivos.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not an “easy summer read.”
However, a fascinating examination of cheating for evolutionary advantage. Professor Sun has synthesized so many interesting examples of cheating in the animal kingdom, as well as human society, to illustrate his thesis. A fine book.