On Motivated Reasoning
Evidence persuades by instilling new beliefs as well as by confirming beliefs already held. Ideally, there should be no contradiction––newly acquired evidence should be consistent with longstanding convictions held by everyone. But what if the two conflict? What if the evidence seeks to establish a conclusion that runs contrary to widely-accepted norms? Psychologists have long […]
Motive’s Irrelevance
It may seem surprising to some that a negligence case brought to recover damages turns entirely on conduct. For some, this may feel a bit incomplete. Genuine culpability, it would seem, would require at least some degree of ill motive or improper design. If the person’s intentions are entirely benevolent but their conduct inadvertently causes […]
