> Say cognitive dissonance without saying it It appears related to cognitive dissonance, but not quite the same. Cognitive dissonance is when you hold simulta

> Say cognitive dissonance without saying it It appears related to cognitive dissonance, but not quite the same. Cognitive dissonance is when you hold simultaneously conflicting or contradictory feelings or opinions about something. For example, you might believe that you care about animal welfare, but simultaneously eat meat indiscriminately. Both of these things fulfill an inner need, but their combination gives rise to a level of discomfort. The quotation refers to the wilful avoidance of doubt and complexity. The analogy here would be taking a position like "It is fine to eat animals because they obviously don't think or feel". This makes various presumptions about what thinking or feeling is, and the moral status of those concepts (or their negation), while dismissing the idea that this is up for debate. Again, this fulfills an inner need, but without the conflict and discomfort.