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Tag Tag Motivated reasoning
When it is useful to them, men can believe a theory of which they know nothing more than its name.
Vilfredo Pareto Manual of Political Economy · 1906

Quotes

“Men follow their sentiments and their self-interest, but it pleases them to imagine that they follow reason. And so they look for, and always find, some theory which, a posteriori, makes their actions appear to be logical. If that theory could be demolished scientifically, the only result would be that another theory would be substituted for the first one, and for the same purpose.”

Vilfredo Pareto · Manual of Political Economy, 1906 · Primary source

Related Tags

Belief 2 Self-interest 4 Ideology 3 Political ideas 1 Rationalisation 3 Emotion 2 Justification 3