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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Steampunkette" data-source="post: 9533196" data-attributes="member: 6796468">Lying is a result of social structures that rely on blame and punishment. Not  just "Consequences" but explicitly punishment for wrongdoing or even just making a mistake.Dunno if anyone else got a whupping for breaking a window or a vase or other fragile item in a completely unintentional manner, but I expect even a strong negative verbal reaction would result in avoidance strategies to mitigate future shame and degradation. Or, y'know, lying. The consequences of accidentally breaking a delicate object are that the object is broken. Not a freshly spanked backside or going to bed without dinner. Those are punishments we apply to the accident.Lying in animals typically comes as a result of resource allocation, with negative consequences happening when poor choices are made in times of scarcity.It's not as if lying appears out of nowhere. It's a learned behavior based on past experiences and present threats.Pettiness, on the other hand, relies on there being something to be petty -about-. In a utopic society in which everyone is treated like equals and kindness is the key word in describing how people interact, there would be no pettiness 'cause you'd have nothing to be petty about over anyone else.</blockquote>