From The Wisest One in the Room by Thomas Gilovich: "Note that the best rationalisations are those that have an element of truth. Whether you vote or not will almost certainly have no influence on the outcome of an election. Nor will the amount of carbon you personally put into the atmosphere make a difference in the fate of the planet. And perhaps it really should be up to the governments rather than the charities that are soliciting your contributions to feed the hungry and homeless in the US or save children around the world from crushing poverty and abuse. But the fact that these statements are true doesn’t mean they aren’t also rationalisations that you and others use to justify questionable behaviour. This uncomfortable truth is crucial to an understanding of the link between rationalisation and evil — an understanding that starts with the awareness that sane people rarely, if ever, act in a truly evil manner unless they can rationalise their actions. As the distinguished Brit...

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