CAS PH 160 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Wishful Thinking
Document Summary
Formation of beliefs and making decisions according to what might be pleasing to imagine instead of by appealing to evidence, rationality, or reality. In terms of rational argumentation, you make yourself believe in something that"s actually wrong. Whenever you don"t want to see something you pay special attention to see special evidence against it. Selective attention is something you have to avoid. Can be religious group, political party, socioeconomic class, generation. You have to identify with the belief system these people/group hold. No other reason, just because you"re in the group you think you are better than those not in the group. A very serious obstacle for your rational thinking. You have to behave in certain ways, cannot deviate. Psychological obstacles to rational critical thinking: wishful thinking one step more than selective attention, group pressure, peer pressure. Selective attention is bad because of distortion, cannot justify our belief.
