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'''Wishful thinking''' is both a [[cognitive bias]]<ref>[http://sidewiseinsights.blogspot.com/2011/01/credit-to-his-race-final-installment-of.html SideWise Thinking]</ref> and a [[logical fallacy]].<ref>[http://www.fallacyfiles.org/wishthnk.html Logical Fallacy: Wishful Thinking]</ref>  It consists of believing something, or believing something to be more likely than it in fact is, because one wants it to be true.

'''Wishful thinking''' is both a [[cognitive bias]]<ref>[http://sidewiseinsights.blogspot.com/2011/01/credit-to-his-race-final-installment-of.html SideWise Thinking]</ref> and a [[logical fallacy]].<ref>[http://www.fallacyfiles.org/wishthnk.html Logical Fallacy: Wishful Thinking]</ref>  It consists of believing something, or believing something to be more likely than it in fact is, because one wants and hopes it to be true.<ref>[https://www.palomar.edu/users/bthompson/Appeal%20to%20Hope.html Appeal to Hope (Wishful Thinking)], Polomar College</ref>

As a logical fallacy, it is similar to the [[appeal to emotion]], except that the appeal is [[self-deception|to one's own emotion]] rather than only to the emotions of the audience.  The fallacy makes a desire for the conclusion to be a premise; that is, it takes the following form:

As a logical fallacy, it is similar to the [[appeal to emotion]], except that the appeal is [[self-deception|to one's own emotion]] rather than only to the emotions of the audience.  The fallacy makes a desire for the conclusion to be a premise; that is, it takes the following form:

== Articles on wishful thinking ==

== Articles on wishful thinking ==

*[https://www.fallacyfiles.org/wishthnk.html Wishful thinking], Fallacy files website

*[https://www.fallacyfiles.org/wishthnk.html Wishful thinking], Fallacy Files website

 

==Examples==

==Examples==

* The eager willingness of [[liberal]], [[Agnosticism|agnostic]] and [[Atheism|atheistic]] biblical scholars and [[exegete]]s in [[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)|higher criticism]] to take [[Specious reasoning|speciously apparent]] [[error]]s in the Bible (carelessly invented superficial difficulties which do not actually exist) as an unexamined pretext for rejecting its [[authority]] and the authority of the very [[Church]] which defends its divine [[inspiration]] as [[Biblical inerrancy|inerrant]] [[truth]].

* The eager willingness of [[liberal]], [[Agnosticism|agnostic]] and [[Atheism|atheistic]] biblical scholars and [[exegete]]s in [[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)|higher criticism]] to take [[Specious reasoning|speciously apparent]] [[error]]s in the Bible (carelessly invented superficial difficulties which do not actually exist) as an unexamined pretext for rejecting its [[authority]] and the authority of the very [[Church]] which defends its divine [[inspiration]] as [[Biblical inerrancy|inerrant]] [[truth]].

* Liberal Christians do not start with the Bible to determine what they believe. Instead, they simply [[fluffy bunny|decide what they want to believe]], [[cafeteria Christianity|cherry-pick]] Bible verses that appear to support their chosen beliefs, and often [[eisegesis|"interpret"]] even those verses beyond recognition. This is an example of self-generated Christianity, i.e., "Christianity" developed to meet one's own demand profile.<ref>{{cite book| first1=Robert |last1=Ekelund |authorlink1= Robert Ekelund |first2= Robert |last2= Hébert |first3= Robert |last3=Tollison |authorlink3= Robert Tollison |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FP08EXnwP3YC&lpg=PA334&dq=cafeteria%20Christianity&pg=PA258#v=onepage&q=cafeteria%20Christianity&f=false |title=The Marketplace of Christianity |publisher= MIT Press |year= 2006 |page = 258 |isbn=9780262050821 }}</ref>

* Liberal Christians do not start with the Bible to determine what they believe. Instead, they simply [[fluffy bunny|decide what they want to believe]], [[cafeteria Christianity|cherry-pick]] Bible verses that appear to support their chosen beliefs, and often [[eisegesis|"interpret"]] even those verses beyond recognition. This is an example of self-generated Christianity, i.e., "Christianity" developed to meet one's own demand profile.<ref>{{cite book| first1=Robert |last1=Ekelund |authorlink1= Robert Ekelund |first2= Robert |last2= Hébert |first3= Robert |last3=Tollison |authorlink3= Robert Tollison |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FP08EXnwP3YC&lpg=PA334&dq=cafeteria%20Christianity&pg=PA258#v=onepage&q=cafeteria%20Christianity&f=false |title=The Marketplace of Christianity |publisher= MIT Press |year= 2006 |page = 258 |isbn=9780262050821 }}</ref>

==See also==

==See also==

* [[Confirmation bias]]

* [[Confirmation bias]]

* [[Original-position fallacy]]

* [[Original-position fallacy]]

*[[Intellectual humility]]

* [[Intellectual humility]]

* [[Decision making]]

* [[Pollyanna]]

* [[Pollyanna]]

* [[Utopia]]n [[fantasy]]

* [[Utopia]]n [[fantasy]]

* [[Christian apologetics]]

* [[Christian apologetics]]

==References==

==References==