-”Deliberately we decide that we want to seek only the truth; but our brains have hardwired support for rationalizing falsehoods.”
Deciding that you want to seek only the truth will not give you the truth. This is because, as you say, our brains have hardwired support for rationalizing falsehoods. What I have found to be a better strategy is self-cooperation. Your mind makes its existence known on several different levels like the vocal, the subvocal but still audible, the purely silent but still internally audible, and eventually laughter and similar responses. Each of these levels has different information about the world, and may be willing to share it with the higher levels as long as it does not end up feeling betrayed. But a naive attitude of “I want the truth!” is exactly what is likely to lead to such a betrayal. To put it another way, if a friend told you a secret and then you immediately went to tell that secret to someone else, would they be likely to continue to trust you after that? Even if you said that you were sharing the secret in the name of “truth”? Self-trust works the same way.
-”Deliberately we decide that we want to seek only the truth; but our brains have hardwired support for rationalizing falsehoods.”
Deciding that you want to seek only the truth will not give you the truth. This is because, as you say, our brains have hardwired support for rationalizing falsehoods. What I have found to be a better strategy is self-cooperation. Your mind makes its existence known on several different levels like the vocal, the subvocal but still audible, the purely silent but still internally audible, and eventually laughter and similar responses. Each of these levels has different information about the world, and may be willing to share it with the higher levels as long as it does not end up feeling betrayed. But a naive attitude of “I want the truth!” is exactly what is likely to lead to such a betrayal. To put it another way, if a friend told you a secret and then you immediately went to tell that secret to someone else, would they be likely to continue to trust you after that? Even if you said that you were sharing the secret in the name of “truth”? Self-trust works the same way.