A debate is emerging concerning the use of deception in social science research (especially when it employs experimental methods), driven primarily by the relatively recent move by many economists into experimental work. These economists generally argue that deception should be banned. Deception includes a variety of practices in social science research and is not limited to experimental research. Most often it involves providing limited information about the true purpose of the research, omitting information in the instructions to subjects not deemed central to the study but important to the research effort, or giving a "cover story" for the study that does not reveal the actual topic of study. Regardless of type, all deception used in social science research must be approved through protocol review by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) in university settings. While social psychologists and experimental sociologists generally agree that deception should be a last resort and is sometimes unnecessary, there are underlying issues relevant to this debate that need to be discussed. In this article, the authors briefly outline some of their concerns, providing just a few examples of the major theoretical problems at stake. (Contains 3 footnotes.)