Rationality becomes irrational once its success opens new possibilities

Evidence

Of course, information and decision costs must be considered when judging the availability of a decision-making procedure, and methods that seem irrational when these factors are ignored can become rational once they are weighed … But there is more to it than this. In many cases, searching further or looking at less obvious criteria could significantly increase the chance of a better decision at a manageable cost. Without being able to specify exactly how much effort would be optimal, it seems likely that people seize on easier ways of processing and calculating information than they would if they were fully aware of what they were doing. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2553 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Planned chance serves as an alibi for rationalized society — Theodor W. Adorno, Max Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment, 113; Modern rationality has expanded until almost nothing remains genuinely irrational or incomprehensible; Some apparent irrationality is rational once decision costs are counted. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2553 (+4 more)

Related

• Some apparent irrationality is rational once decision costs are counted. (similarity 0.92)
• People rationalize outcomes even when they know the outcomes were arbitrary (similarity 0.81)
• Planned chance serves as an alibi for rationalized society (similarity 0.79)
• Perfect rationality presumes cost-free computation and closed problem sets (similarity 0.79)
• Rationality itself has become the most effective vehicle of mystification. (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Modern rationality has expanded until almost nothing remains genuinely irrational or incomprehensible #expands (0.80)
• Some apparent irrationality is rational once decision costs are counted. #qualifies (0.75) — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 2553
• Human freedom to begin new things resists the tyranny of logical deduction #expands (0.70)