The Epistemic Innocence of Irrational Beliefs

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Bortolotti
Keyword(s):  
Irrational Beliefs ◽  
Epistemic Justification ◽  
Irrational Belief ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Psychological Effects ◽  
Epistemic Rationality ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Cognitive Capacities ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Epistemic Innocence

Ideally, we would have beliefs that satisfy norms of truth and rationality, as well as fostering the acquisition, retention and use of other relevant information. In reality, we have limited cognitive capacities and are subject to motivational biases on an everyday basis, and may also experience impairments in perception, memory, learning, and reasoning in the course of our lives. Such limitations and impairments give rise to distorted memory beliefs, confabulated explanations, elaborated delusional beliefs, motivated delusional beliefs, and optimistically biased beliefs. In the book, Bortolotti argues that some irrational beliefs qualify as epistemically innocent, where the notion of epistemic innocence captures the fact that in some contexts the adoption, maintenance or reporting of the beliefs delivers significant epistemic benefits that could not be easily attained otherwise. Epistemic innocence is a weaker notion than epistemic justification, as it does not imply that the epistemic benefits of the irrational belief outweigh its epistemic costs. However, it clarifies the relationship between the epistemic and psychological effects of irrational beliefs on agency. It is misleading to assume that epistemic rationality and psychological adaptiveness always go hand-in-hand, but also that there is a straight-forward trade off between them. Rather, epistemic irrationality can lead to psychological adaptiveness and psychological adaptiveness in turn can support the attainment of epistemic goals. Recognising the circumstances in which irrational beliefs enhance or restore epistemic performance informs our mutual interactions and enables us to take measures to reduce their irrationality without undermining the conditions for epistemic success.

Need for Cognition and Irrational Beliefs

1997 ◽  
Vol 81 (2) ◽  
pp. 685-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Mahoney ◽  
Douglas Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Irrational Beliefs ◽  
Irrational Belief ◽  
Cognitive Activity ◽  
Need For Cognition ◽  
Process Variable ◽  
Minimum Threshold ◽  
Content Variable ◽  
Self Examination ◽  
The Relationship

A total of 149 college students, 48 men and 101 women, completed the Irrational Beliefs and the Need for Cognition scales to assess irrationality and the tendency to engage in effortful cognitive activity. Although substantial overlap between the constructs was found ( r = –.29, p < .001), the relationship was not linear. Need for Cognition appears to be a process variable, while irrational belief appears to be a content variable. Results suggest that the Need for Cognition must achieve a minimum threshold before spontaneous critical self-examination can occur.

Alienation and Irrational Beliefs in a Nonclinical University Population

1999 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Mahoney
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Linear Relationship ◽  
Irrational Beliefs ◽  
Irrational Belief ◽  
Linear Effect ◽  
University Population ◽  
The Relationship

A total of 126 college students, 53 men and 73 women, completed the Manifest Alienation Scale and the Irrational Beliefs Scale to assess alienation and irrationality. A linear relationship indicated students with elevated Alienation scores showed substantially higher irrationality than did students scoring lower. Analysis suggests that a positive linear effect for measured irrationality and reported Alienation characterizes students in a nonclinical population. The relationship between normal and pathological Alienation and irrational belief are addressed, and potential interventions in clinical situations are considered.

Is Belief in a Just World Rational?

1998 ◽  
Vol 83 (2) ◽  
pp. 423-426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah A. Stowers ◽  
Mark W. Durm
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Irrational Beliefs ◽  
Irrational Belief ◽  
Just World ◽  
Rational Thinking ◽  
Irrational Thinking ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
The Relationship

To estimate the relationship between the belief in a just world and irrational thinking, 62 undergraduates completed the Jones Irrational Beliefs Test and the Multidimensional Belief in a Just World Scale. It was hypothesized that belief in a just world precluded rational thinking. No significant correlations were found between scores on irrational beliefs and beliefs in a just world; however, post hoc tests indicated a significant relationship between age and scores on irrational belief in women, indicating that perhaps the older women were less prone to irrational beliefs.

The Epistemic Innocence Project

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Lisa Bortolotti
Keyword(s):  
Irrational Beliefs ◽  
Epistemic Rationality ◽  
Epistemic Status ◽  
Innocence Project ◽  
New Framework ◽  
Epistemic Innocence ◽  
Conceptual Resources

Human agents do not simply survive but navigate their world quite successfully despite being inclined to adopt and hang onto irrational beliefs. In this introductory chapter, the author justifies the new framework of epistemic innocence as an attempt to make sense of the idea that our undesirable and at times cringeworthy irrationality may be instrumental to succeed as imperfect agents. The challenge is to create the conceptual resources for evaluating the epistemic status of beliefs that violate standards of truth, accuracy, and epistemic rationality but play an important role in supporting epistemic functionality. The notions of epistemic irrationality, epistemic functionality, and epistemic innocence are introduced and the methodological assumptions guiding the discussion in the subsequent chapters are explained.

Affirmative Action and Leadership Attitudes in Brazilian Women Managers

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 139-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gazi Islam ◽  
Sarah E. S. Zilenovsky
Keyword(s):  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Women Managers ◽  
Psychological Effects ◽  
Preferential Selection ◽  
Justice Perceptions ◽  
First Time ◽  
The Relationship

This note examines the relationship between affirmative action (AA) program perceptions and women’s self-ascribed capacity and desire to become leaders. We propose that women who believe that their organization implements a program of preferential selection toward women will experience negative psychological effects leading to lowered self-expectations for leadership, but that this effect will be moderated by their justice perceptions of AA programs. We test this proposition empirically for the first time with a Latin American female sample. Among Brazilian women managers, desire but not self-ascribed capacity to lead was reduced when they believed an AA policy was in place. Both desire’s and capacity’s relationships with belief in an AA policy were moderated by justice perceptions.

scholarly journals Noni fruit’s water spot appearance on the second day of harvest: a trade-off between resistance and energy

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tian Wu ◽  
Danyan Hu ◽  
Qingfen Wang
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Morinda Citrifolia ◽  
Transcriptome Data ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Kegg Pathways ◽  
Available Energy ◽  
Climacteric Fruit ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Background Noni (Morinda citrifolia Linn.) is a tropical tree that bears climacteric fruit. Previous observations and research have shown that the second day (2 d) after harvest is the most important demarcation point when the fruit has the same appearance as the freshly picked fruit (0 d); however, they are beginning to become water spot appearance. We performed a conjoint analysis of metabolome and transcriptome data for noni fruit of 0 d and 2 d to reveal what happened to the fruit at the molecular level. Genes and metabolites were annotated to KEGG pathways and the co-annotated KEGG pathways were used as a statistical analysis. Results We found 25 pathways that were significantly altered at both metabolic and transcriptional levels, including a total of 285 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 11 differential metabolites through an integrative analysis of transcriptomics and metabolomics. The energy metabolism and pathways originating from phenylalanine were disturbed the most. The upregulated resistance metabolites and genes implied the increase of resistance and energy consumption in the postharvest noni fruit. Most genes involved in glycolysis were downregulated, further limiting the available energy. This lack of energy led noni fruit to water spot appearance, a prelude to softening. The metabolites and genes related to the resistance and energy interacted and restricted each other to keep noni fruit seemingly hard within two days after harvest, but actually the softening was already unstoppable. Conclusions This study provides a new insight into the relationship between the metabolites and genes of noni fruit, as well as a foundation for further clarification of the post-ripening mechanism in noni fruit.

Challenger Entry and Voter Learning

2007 ◽  
Vol 101 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
SANFORD C. GORDON ◽  
GREGORY A. HUBER ◽  
DIMITRI LANDA
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Research ◽  
Electoral Competition ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Strategic Interaction ◽  
Incumbency Advantage ◽  
Retrospective Voting ◽  
Positive Assessment ◽  
Threat Of Entry ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Different Levels

We develop a model of strategic interaction between voters and potential electoral challengers to sitting incumbents, in which the very fact of a costly challenge conveys relevant information to voters. Given incumbent failure in office, challenger entry is more likely, but the threat of entry by inferior challengers creates an incentive for citizens to become more politically informed. At the same time, challenges to incumbents who perform well can neutralize a voter's positive assessment of incumbent qualifications. How a voter becomes politically informed can in turn deter challengers of different levels of competence from running, depending on the electoral environment. The model permits us to sharpen our understanding of retrospective voting, the incumbency advantage, and the relationship between electoral competition and voter welfare, while pointing to new interpretations of, and future avenues for, empirical research on elections.

Mourning and Reminiscence: Parallel Psychotherapeutic Processes for Elderly People

1989 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 239-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda L. Viney ◽  
Yvonne N. Benjamin ◽  
Carol Preston
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Theoretical Explanation ◽  
Personal Construct ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Personal Construct Theory ◽  
Psychotherapeutic Processes ◽  
Construct Theory ◽  
The Relationship

Mourning and reminiscence are therapeutic processes common in therapeutic work with the elderly. However, a theoretical explanation of why they are effective has been lacking. Personal construct theory accounts for both in terms of the search of elderly persons for validation of their construct systems. In this article, this explanation of the parallel psychotherapeutic processes is explored, together with relevant information from the literature on mourning and reminiscence. Therapeutic case studies illustrate the characteristics of the two processes and the relationship between them.

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