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DO THE SELF‐DECEIVED GET WHAT THEY WANT?
Author(s) -
FUNKHOUSER ERIC
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
pacific philosophical quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.914
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 1468-0114
pISSN - 0279-0750
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0114.2005.00228.x
Subject(s) - self deception , deception , order (exchange) , epistemology , self , self knowledge , state (computer science) , psychology , social psychology , philosophy , computer science , finance , algorithm , economics
Two of the most basic questions regarding self‐deception remain unsettled: What do self‐deceivers want? What do self‐deceivers get? I argue that self‐deceivers are motivated by a desire to believe. However, in significant contrast with Alfred Mele's account of self‐deception, I argue that self‐deceivers do not satisfy this desire. Instead, the end‐state of self‐deception is a false higher‐order belief. This shows all self‐deception to be a failure of self‐knowledge.