Humans often represent and reason about unrealized possible actions–the vast infinity of
things that were not (or have not yet been) chosen. This capacity is central to the most …

Rationalization occurs when a person has performed an action and then concocts the
beliefs and desires that would have made it rational. Then, people often adjust their own …

Research on judgment and decision making typically studies “small worlds”—highly
simplified and stylized tasks such as monetary gambles—among homogenous populations …

A commitment to truth requires that you are open to receiving new evidence, even if that
evidence contradicts your current beliefs. You should be open to changing your mind …

Life brings opportunities. Opportunities bring change. Sometimes an opportunity is
unexpected. You receive a job offer out of the blue. You fall in love. You get pregnant. Other …

As you face a life-defining change, you might ask yourself: Who will I become? This can be
understood as a question about the nature and character of your future life, asked from your …

While we agree in broad strokes with the characterisation of rationalization as a “useful
fiction,” we think that Fiery Cushman's claim remains ambiguous in two crucial respects: the …

Philosophers across many traditions have long theorized about the relationship between
prudence and morality. Few clear answers have emerged, however, in large part because of …

In Rationalization is rational, Cushman offers a serious consideration of the function of
rationalization that is long overdue and represents an important contribution to the literature …

In this commentary, I highlight the relevance of Cushman's target paper for the popular dual
process framework of thinking. I point to the problematic characterization of rationalization in …