Rationalization

From Issuepedia

[edit] Overview

Rationalization is the process of creating of expounding a rational-sounding explanation to support a predetermined conclusion. Rationalizations typically cherry-pick their premises, ignoring key pieces of information which would otherwise lead to a different conclusion.

Rationalists are often accused of being rationalizers, but the results of rationalization are demonstrably non-rational; the only legitimate criticism of an argument claiming to be rational is to identify some part of it which is irrational.