irrational beliefs
Logic-free mental commitments
Irrational beliefs are convictions held despite contradicting logic, evidence, or reasonable judgment.
The term appears in psychology and philosophy to describe thinking patterns that persist even when demonstrably false or self-defeating: His irrational belief that everyone was against him poisoned his relationships.
What counts as irrational often depends on perspective—one person's faith is another's irrationality.
- superstitionBaseless belief in omens
- old wives taleUnverified traditional belief
- black catDark-coated feline
- bad luckUnfavorable chance events
- knock on woodSuperstitious phrase averting jinx
delusion · blind faith · paranoia · conspiracy theory · flat earth · conspiracy · magical thinking · bias · confirmation bias · prejudice · fear · anxiety · cognitive distortion · denial · wishful thinking · false hope · obsession · phobia
- unreasonirrationalism, unreason, illogic, absurdity, madness
irrational beliefscritical thinking
Objective evaluation of information
logical reasoning · scientific method · deductive reasoning · inductive reasoning · evidence-based reasoning
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