Self-deception
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Self-deception is a process of denying or rationalizing away the relevance, significance, or importance of opposing evidence and argument.
It has been argued that humans are without exception highly susceptible to self-deception, as everyone has emotional attachments to beliefs. Some evolutionary biologists, such as Robert Trivers, have even suggested that, because deception is such an important part of human behaviour (and animal behaviour generally), an instinct for self-deception can give a person a selective advantage: if someone can believe their own lie, the theory goes, they will consequently be better able to persuade others of its 'truth'.
See also
- Point of no return
- True-believer syndrome
- Wishful thinking
- Cognitive dissonance
- Self-handicapping
- Rigour
- List of cognitive biases
External link
- Skeptic's Dictionary entry on self-deception (http://skepdic.com/selfdeception.html)