Fooled by Reason

A framework revealing how reason itself can mislead—not because it's irrational, but because it's used selectively, applied inconsistently, or trusted beyond its limits. Fooled by Reason shows how we can reason our way to false conclusions by starting from false premises, how we can rationalize anything if we try hard enough, and how the appearance of reason can mask the absence of wisdom. We are fooled when we trust reasoning without examining its starting points, when we mistake rationalization for rationality.

Fooled by Reason "He reasoned his way to a conclusion that justified everything he already believed. Fooled by Reason: using reason to rationalize, not to discover. The reasoning was flawless; the premises were false. Reason fooled him into thinking he'd found truth when he'd only found justification."

by Dumu The Void March 8, 2026