How convenient! The epistemic rationale of self-validating belief systems
- Author
- Maarten Boudry (UGent) and Johan Braeckman (UGent)
- Organization
- Abstract
- This paper offers an epistemological discussion of self-validating belief systems and the recurrence of ?epistemic defense mechanisms? and ?immunizing strategies? across widely different domains of knowledge. We challenge the idea that typical ?weird? belief systems are inherently fragile, and we argue that, instead, they exhibit a surprising degree of resilience in the face of adverse evidence and criticism. Borrowing from the psychological research on belief perseverance, rationalization and motivated reasoning, we argue that the human mind is particularly susceptible to belief systems that are structurally self-validating. On this cognitive-psychological basis, we construct an epidemiology of beliefs, arguing that the apparent convenience of escape clauses and other defensive ?tactics? used by believers may well derive not from conscious deliberation on their part, but from more subtle mechanisms of cultural selection.
- Keywords
- PERSISTENCE, INFORMATION, EXPLANATION, PERSEVERANCE, MODEL, CONSPIRACY THEORIES, Epidemiology of Beliefs, Cultural Selection, Cognitive Constraints, BEHAVIOR, EVOLUTION, SELECTION, PSYCHOLOGY, Epistemic Defense Mechanisms, Immunizing Strategies, Self-Validating Belief Systems
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-1861533
- MLA
- Boudry, Maarten, and Johan Braeckman. “How Convenient! The Epistemic Rationale of Self-Validating Belief Systems.” PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY, vol. 25, no. 3, 2012, pp. 341–64, doi:10.1080/09515089.2011.579420.
- APA
- Boudry, M., & Braeckman, J. (2012). How convenient! The epistemic rationale of self-validating belief systems. PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY, 25(3), 341–364. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2011.579420
- Chicago author-date
- Boudry, Maarten, and Johan Braeckman. 2012. “How Convenient! The Epistemic Rationale of Self-Validating Belief Systems.” PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY 25 (3): 341–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2011.579420.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Boudry, Maarten, and Johan Braeckman. 2012. “How Convenient! The Epistemic Rationale of Self-Validating Belief Systems.” PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY 25 (3): 341–364. doi:10.1080/09515089.2011.579420.
- Vancouver
- 1.Boudry M, Braeckman J. How convenient! The epistemic rationale of self-validating belief systems. PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY. 2012;25(3):341–64.
- IEEE
- [1]M. Boudry and J. Braeckman, “How convenient! The epistemic rationale of self-validating belief systems,” PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 341–364, 2012.
@article{1861533,
abstract = {{This paper offers an epistemological discussion of self-validating belief systems and the recurrence of ?epistemic defense mechanisms? and ?immunizing strategies? across widely different domains of knowledge. We challenge the idea that typical ?weird? belief systems are inherently fragile, and we argue that, instead, they exhibit a surprising degree of resilience in the face of adverse evidence and criticism. Borrowing from the psychological research on belief perseverance, rationalization and motivated reasoning, we argue that the human mind is particularly susceptible to belief systems that are structurally self-validating. On this cognitive-psychological basis, we construct an epidemiology of beliefs, arguing that the apparent convenience of escape clauses and other defensive ?tactics? used by believers may well derive not from conscious deliberation on their part, but from more subtle mechanisms of cultural selection.}},
author = {{Boudry, Maarten and Braeckman, Johan}},
issn = {{0951-5089}},
journal = {{PHILOSOPHICAL PSYCHOLOGY}},
keywords = {{PERSISTENCE,INFORMATION,EXPLANATION,PERSEVERANCE,MODEL,CONSPIRACY THEORIES,Epidemiology of Beliefs,Cultural Selection,Cognitive Constraints,BEHAVIOR,EVOLUTION,SELECTION,PSYCHOLOGY,Epistemic Defense Mechanisms,Immunizing Strategies,Self-Validating Belief Systems}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{341--364}},
title = {{How convenient! The epistemic rationale of self-validating belief systems}},
url = {{http://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2011.579420}},
volume = {{25}},
year = {{2012}},
}
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