Some behavior seems so harmful, calculated, and self-serving that a reasonable observer readily concludes deliberate and malicious intent and that agents of such actions must know they’re not good people. As Jamy Ian Swiss explains in this evocative video, this is often not the case. Some of history’s villains, including assassins and genocidal dictators, sincerely believed the were heroes leading the world to some glorious future. A similar mechanic may be at work in the minds of some fraudulent psychics. Jamy Ian Swiss here talks about how that can happen.
This video is very helpful in understanding corruption and delusion in the case of hucksters and phones, but it also moves one to self-reflection. Cognitive dissonance reduction mechanisms are ubiquitous, and none are immune. Great stuff.
