creeping rationalization

When a person is given permission to use something only in an emergency and their rationalization of what constitutes an "emergency" becomes laxer and laxer each time they want the thing.

I told Bob he could use my car only in an emergency but last night his creeping rationalization made him think that missing the basketball game was an emergency.

by BillyBuggy November 16, 2010

Irrational Rationalization

"Irrational Rationalization", or "IR", is a commonplace, non-communicable infection of cranial cognition. People whom are exposed to this infection display a number of degraded brain cells, deprivation of motor skills, and failure to comprehend logic. "IR" is displayed when one, online, debates a fairly irrelevant point to an other. Hence the name, rationalization shown by the person infected is at a very low layer of mentality. For example, when the person debates about a sort of social media plot, the host will use derogatory language, such as, "faggot", a slang term created by humans because why not. Hosts also show many usages of deus ex machina, cutting into the other conflicts of people. One more way people exhibit "IR" is by collapsing on their own statements. This is a more widespread way of IR, utilized mostly on social media sites.
"IR" has no specific cure. However, "IR" is usually prevented by:
- Thinking more frequently
- Reading a book instead of performing inane stunts for publicity
- Avoiding putting gelid objects on your head
Psychotherapy sessions may be available for diagnosing "IR", although that is very unlikely.

Person A.: "lel your just jelous because your not smart #hashtagsaresoimportant"
Person B.: "According to this, you're jealous of me for having an advanced education in English. Irrational rationalization's bad."
Person C.: "I agree, Person A should take a diagnosis for the IR infection."

by Ninja of Logic August 21, 2014

My Rationality

The rationality that is only understood by you. Usually used when you say or do something that makes no sense.

Person 1: Why did the banana turn into a coconut?
Person 2: Why?
Person 1: BECAUSE IT WAS A COOKIE!!!!
Person 2: That makes no sense
Person 1: Understand my rationality
Person 2: Which is?
Person 1: I'm an asshole.

by Harry Scrotes July 1, 2008

Rationalization

The idea Christians can't comprehend.

Christian: I believe in God, because the Bible says so!
Rational thinker: have you tried rationalization with the Bible?
Christian: What is that? Sounds like science, and science is evil!
Rational thinker: *FACE-PALM*

by ChristoPhedora May 21, 2016

Rationalized Bias

A sophisticated form of self-deception where one's pre-existing prejudices, desires, or ideological commitments are retroactively supported by elaborate, internally consistent rationalizations. The person constructs a logical-sounding edifice to justify a conclusion they arrived at for emotional or tribal reasons, believing themselves to be purely rational. The bias lies in the motivated reasoning that builds the rationale.

Example: A person opposed to immigration reform crafts a complex argument citing selective economic studies, abstract principles of sovereignty, and crime statistics. This Rationalized Bias allows them to believe their stance is reasoned, when its roots are in unexamined cultural anxiety and identity politics. The logic serves the bias, not the truth.

by Dumu The Void February 4, 2026

Rationalization of Evil

The psychological process of concocting emotionally plausible, self-serving excuses to justify one's own or one's group's harmful, cruel, or immoral actions. It uses the language of reason—practical necessity, greater good, victim-blaming, or righteous retaliation—to evade moral responsibility and soothe cognitive dissonance. The rationale is crafted after the decision to do harm, not as its guide.

Example: A colonial administrator rationalizing the exploitation of a colony might tell himself, "We're bringing them civilization and saving them from themselves. It's for their own good, even if they don't understand it yet." This Rationalization of Evil dresses up greed and violence in the noble costume of a "civilizing mission."

by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 4, 2026

Rationalization against Victims of Capitalism

The cognitive process of using abstract economic principles to explain away suffering, making it seem like an inevitable outcome of natural laws rather than political choices. It involves appeals to “market logic,” “incentive structures,” or “competitiveness” to drain moral outrage from scenes of human devastation.

Rationalization against Victims of Capitalism Example: An economist on TV discussing factory closures: “While painful for communities, the relocation of manufacturing overseas is a rational allocation of global capital and labor. It’s simply how efficient markets work.” This rationalization uses the clinical language of efficiency to neutralize the tragedy of deindustrialization.

by Abzugal February 8, 2026