[Revised entry by Ian Deweese-Boyd on March 13, 2023.
Changes to: Main text, Bibliography]
Virtually every aspect of self-deception, including its definition and paradigmatic cases, is a matter of controversy among philosophers. Minimally, self-deception involves a person who (a) as a consequence of some motivation or emotion, seems to acquire and maintain some false belief despite evidence to the contrary and (b) who may display behavior suggesting some awareness of the truth. Beyond this, philosophers divide over whether self-deception is intentional, whether it involves belief or some other sub- or…
Originally appeared on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Read More
