[othersideofcoin]

I'm writing this as a thought experiment, so please don't respond if what I say angers you. I'm hoping to possibly seed an interesting conversation from which I can learn, not trying to make any specific points.

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why is corruption bad? Well, it definitely feels dirty, and it probably usually directly harms someone (who has to pay, doesn't pay, etc.)

But what if we looked at it from a trust based perspective? Single incidents of corruption have an outsized impact on the overall trust a society has in itself, and others.

So, what if the cost isn't created by the act of corruption, but by the perception / dissemination of corrupt events?

From that perspective, the best overall utility to society after the VW scandal was both to make it appear like someone is watching (disincentivize others) but also downplay the size of it (maximally maintain trust).

This isn't particularly thought through, but I was hoping to invoke Cunningham's Law to learn more about something I know very little about.