JoshuaZ comments on What causes people to believe in conspiracy theories? - Less Wrong
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
Comments (45)
This is interesting, in that having reread the memo, I still don't see it as saying that the data was deliberately misrepresented, and having just reread the Wikipedia page, I still don't get that attitude. I don't think this is due to bias on my part, since if I have any biases in this regard it would be biases that would make me want to think that Bush lied.
The memo says things like:
That doesn't sound like deliberate lying to me. The administration had massive systemic problems. This isn't the only example of this problem. A substantial fraction of the administration seemed to think that their personal wishes effectively determined what reality would do. (See for example Rove's comment about the "reality-based community").
It is difficult to underestimate human capacity for mendacity but it is equally hard to underestimate human capacity for self-deception.