—“Is social conformity a form of lying?”—
1 – In **display** (dress, manner) conformity is a form of *taxation*. (cost)
2 – In **action** (behavior) conformity a form of *taxation*. (cost)
3 – In **word**, the question is whether the statement is true (scientifically), or false, not conforming or non conforming. If you state the **truth**, it’s a form of *taxation*. (cost)
In **Religion**, it’s both *lying* and *taxation*. All cults other than Aristotelian (science and law) require payment of *taxation* by display, word, and action, as a cost of membership in the cult.
The means of distinguishing between a theocratic government and society and a scientific (rule-of-law) government and society is whether you must pay a cost of display, action, and word that is false in order to obtain or maintain membership in the organization – where government, cult, society are all forms of organization.
The problem is, that conformity may amplify or reduce your relative status signals (perceived market value to others). And so the lower your genetic, social, economic, and political capital, the greater your demand for obtaining signals (positive attention) by non conforming means. This is why people ‘with’ tend to conform, and people ‘without’ tend not to. Search for status signals in some other group than the dominant genetic, social, and economic status hierarchies
All humans are rational actors. That’s necessary for evolutionary persistence.
They just may not understand the rationality of their actions.