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If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.
Bertrand Russell
This is related to what I have called "Statement contrary to presumed bias".
That is, if a man does believe an assertion (to be a bit more general than fact) that is against his instincts, then his belief carries more weight than it would if the assertion were in line with his instincts.
I have wanted a name for this. When someone either makes or believes a Statement Contrary to Presumed Instincts.
With only one permutation I get: SCIP.
In his statement listed here on June 2 last, Senator Goldwater was SCIPing.
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Tuesday, June 7, 2011
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So, was Anthony reverse SCIPing when he said “I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him”?
ReplyDeleteLike the acronym.