Noble Lies Unmasked

People often engage in self-deception, creating 'noble lies' to justify their actions or beliefs. This self-suppression of truth isn't the result of a coordinated conspiracy, but rather stems from individuals convincing themselves they are acting for good reasons, such as withholding terminal illness information from patients in the name of compassion. This behavior mirrors the bootlegger and Baptist problem, where individuals mask self-serving motives with superficially noble justifications. Ultimately, self-interested motivations often underlie seemingly altruistic expressions, leading individuals to conflate their true intentions with their moral rationalizations.