1.11 Undercover
"Undercover" - Baseline
Lightman says he needs to establish a baseline to know what these
guys look like when they are not stressed. The term baseline refers
to a person's usual behavior during ordinary circumstances. Changes
from that baseline suggest that something important is occurring:
it might be the stress of being under suspicion or emotional
reactions to telling a lie. Without a baseline we run the risk of
misinterpreting unusual behaviors, for we don't know if the person
always acts in that unusual way. It is risky to judge truthfulness
without a baseline; hence my practice of never making an important
decision based on a single, brief meeting.
"Undercover" - Teeth Clench
Antoine is clenching his teeth, which is a nervous habit in some
people, but when it is not (which you would know if you had a
baseline), teeth clenching suggests an attempt to tightly control
what is said or shown.
"Undercover" - Ethical Dilemmas
Lightman and Foster argue about an ethical dilemma: is it
justifiable to sacrifice the future of an innocent person (Andre)
to prevent many people losing their lives. Factors to consider are:
a certainty (with Andre going to jail) as compared to a possibility
of a terrorist attack that cannot be stopped by any other means;
jail (Andre) versus death (terrorist); what you do (Lightman) as
compared to what others (antiterrorists) may be doing; and whether
you can ever accept acquiescing in an injustice.