If believing something that is false gets me utility,
I desire to believe in that falsity;
If believing something that is true gets me utility,
I desire to believe in that truth;
Let me not become attached to states of belief that do not get me utility.
A modified Litany of Tarski:
That’s the Litany of the Politician. It’s the extreme case of politics, but it does seem to be what is at work in a lot of practical politics.
perhaps in this case we might modify it slightly differently:
“If holding an alief which corresponds to no expectations increases my utility, I desire to alieve it.”
This is perhaps more relevant to the idea of feeling “inadequate” and needing to increase one’s confidence.