AnnaSalamon comments on How do you notice when you're rationalizing? - Less Wrong

12 Post author: AnnaSalamon 02 March 2012 07:28AM

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Comment author: AnnaSalamon 02 March 2012 07:32:37AM *  16 points [-]

Cue for noticing rationalization: I find my mouth responding with a "no" before stopping to think or draw breath.

(Example: Bob: "We shouldn't do question three this way; you only think so because you're a bad writer". My mouth/brain: "No, we should definitely do question three this way! [because I totally don't want to think I'm a bad writer]" Me: Wait, my mouth just moved without me being at all curious as to how question three will play out, nor about what Bob is seeing in question three. I should call an interrupt here.)

Comment author: Benquo 02 March 2012 01:35:15PM 0 points [-]

This one is a big clue for me too.

Comment author: Alexei 02 March 2012 05:43:27PM 0 points [-]

Sometimes this happens for me when the person just said (or is about to say) an invalid argument that I've heard before and know exactly how to correct/retort.

Comment author: multifoliaterose 03 March 2012 01:02:22AM 1 point [-]

Bob: "We shouldn't do question three this way; you only think so because you're a bad writer". My mouth/brain: "No, we should definitely do question three this way! [because I totally don't want to think I'm a bad writer]"

It's probably generically the case that the likelihood of rationalization increases with the contextual cue of a slight. But one usually isn't aware of this in real time.