pseudo-rationalizationn.
/ˌs(j)uːdə(ʊ)ˌraʃn̩əlʌɪˈzeɪʃn/, U.S. /ˈˌsudoʊˌræʃənələˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/, /ˈˌsudoʊˌræʃənlˌaɪˈzeɪʃ(ə)n/; see also rationalization n. False, unjustified, or spurious rationalization; an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > reason, faculty of reasoning > [noun] > false rationalism > promotion of
pseudo-rationalization1924
1924 Jrnl. Relig. 4 449 Is the religious sentiment and its virtue of reverence a logical rationalization, or a pseudo-rationalization?
1960 A. Koestler Lotus & Robot i. ii. 100 There is a tendency in the human mind never to leave a symbol alone, an itch to debase it by pseudo-rationalizations.
1983 A. R. JanMohamed Manichean Aesthetics v. 159 By indulging himself in a series of tirades comprised of pseudo-rationalizations, Green finally arrives at what seems to be the core of his attitude.
2004 Sunday Times (Nexis) 16 May (Sport section) 32 Harrison..has indicated no desire to rise above the lucrative harvesting of victims and his pseudo-rationalisations of the process compound the hypocrisy.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1924