Isn't it possible to justify pretty much anything in one's own mind?

Question

Every purchase, every thought, every action...

Answer 1

Absolutely.

Answer 2

Ask Hitler.......

If you enjoy reading, I can recommend the following studies that can pretty well verify your theory:

The entire works of Corrie Ten Boom, particularly The Hiding Place (now available on DVD, the film of this epic appeared DECADES before Schindler's List, with gritty detail of the very point you are theorizing); and

Shantung Compound: The Story of Men and Women Under Pressure, which details comparable issues in a different prison camp setting, in which even the children were...well, it's really suited for adult reading only...difficult for caring hearts to fathom...... (Corrie's works suited for older youth on up).

I am pasting the Amazon links below, but they often do not work here, if they fail this time just do a search at www.amazon.com on those search terms

Corrie Ten Boom

and

Shantung Compound

Answer 3

You don't have to be a psychopath or delusional to justify or rationalize behavior or beliefs, even extreme behavior or beliefs, I suppose.

How many people break their marriage vows and honestly believe that it is not a violation of a vow because their spouse did or did not do something? Or cheat "just a little" (pad their charitable donations, for example) on their taxes? Or run a red light at 3 am because "There was no one around for miles!"

Those are betrayal; theft and fraud; and criminal behavior respectively. They may or may not be terrible, harmful, evil or disgusting, but name them what they are if you do them.

I'm not innocent, and I don't know of many who are. But criminal or not, I don't feel guilty about running the light when I knew it was safe.

Answer 4

Yes, I believe a person can justify "pretty much anything". I suppose taking it to its extreme it can seem horrible, but in day to day life and throughout history, it is how humans have adapted and compromised to form societies. People who are able to rationalize "pretty much anything" can be very good at negeotiating and helping to find solutions to difficult social problems because they can see the benefits in various proposals -- even if the proposals seem to oppose one another.

Answer 5

That is pretty much right, considering you are the only one who perceives your own thought. Even the concept of right/wrong and good/bad are perceptions of our individual minds. Justification is based on your individual consciousness and how you perceive the action and/or the consequences of your action. The individual consciousness somewhat relies on the collective ideas of what your outside influence may be. But it is still up to you to decide how you will perceive or apply these ideas to your own life.

Answer 6

If one is purely delusional; then yes....their mind of that illness thinks it can justify ALL actions, right or wrong. However, we all live and are expected to abide along a clear guide line of what is right and what is NOT right; exempting a few "gray areas", justification of ones actions can be a challenge.

Answer 7

Absolutely. Read DeSade for his philosophical arguments if you're not sure.

Or, if you want to come at it from a different direction, Nietzsche said that "An act of love goes beyond good and evil."

Answer 8

Yes, look at the Nazis. I'm sure most of them felt a twinge of conscience at what they were doing, but they consistently ignored it. Ignore your conscience and nothing will stand in your way.

Answer 9

Yes, you can see the evidence of that in some of the questions asked on here.

Answer 10

Yes; human beings are very good at it. Psychologists even have a term for it -- rationalization.