Title: Rational irrationality - Wikipedia
Headings: Rational irrationality
Rational irrationality
Contents
Theory
Two types of rationality, and preferences over beliefs
Rational irrationality versus doublethink
Sources of preferences over beliefs
Religion
Politics
Rational irrationality in individual political beliefs
Rational irrationality and systemic biases
Implications for the outcomes of democracy
Competing and opposing theories of democracy and politics
Rational ignorance and public choice theory
Expressive voting
Wittman's theory of democratic success
See also
References

Content: Self-interested bias is complicated by the fact that people may identify with groups to which they do not belong, but feel good about assuming that identity. Beliefs as self-image constructors: People prefer to hold beliefs that best fit with the images of themselves that they want to adopt and to project. Beliefs as tools of social bonding: People prefer to hold the political beliefs of other people they like and with whom they want to associate. Coherence bias: People are biased towards beliefs that fit well with or reinforce their existing beliefs, regardless of those beliefs' degree of coherence with reality. Religion
Many of the claims of religions are not easily verifiable in the day-to-day world. There are many competing religious theories about the origins of life, reincarnation, and paradise, but mistaken beliefs about these rarely impose real world costs upon the believers themselves. Thus, it may be instrumentally rational to be epistemically irrational about these matters.