How Does Personal Interest Disguise Itself as an “Objective Argument”?
How can we tell when our reasoning is being shaped by an interest we do not want to admit?
This source-based Torah essay approaches the episode of the spies through the problem of motivated reasoning. A person can sincerely believe an argument is objective while an unspoken interest is influencing what they notice and conclude. Chronological claims around the Exodus, Sinai, the spies, and Tisha B’Av remain subject to source review.