ShardPhoenix comments on People who "don't rationalize"? [Help Rationality Group figure it out] - Less Wrong

12 Post author: Mercurial 02 March 2012 11:38PM

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Comment author: ShardPhoenix 03 March 2012 12:38:59PM 2 points [-]

What is rationalization? To me, it feels like a lower-level, more primitive part of the brain recruiting the verbal centres in an attempt to persuade the higher level part of the brain to do something short-sighted. Perhaps these people are unusually non-conflicted - for example, their their lower levels may have a lower-than-usual time preference, or their higher levels may be too weak to get in the way in the first place.

(I keep wanting to say "id" and "super-ego" here despite knowing that Freud isn't scientific. Are there better terms?).