The proposition here ks that the human brain is, in
large part, a machine for winning arguments, a
machine for convincing others that its owner is in
the fight--and thus a machine for convincing its
owner of the same thing. The brain is like a good
lawyer: given any set of interests to defend, it sets
about convincing the world of their moral and logical
worth, regardless of whether they in fact have
any of either. Like a lawyer, the human mind wants
victory, not truth; and, like a lawyer, it is sometimes
more admirable for skill than for virtue.
Self-Deception In the Xhosa Story
This phenomenon, generally known as "confirmation bias," "has been studied enough to reveal its extraodinary power in the way individuals form and maintain their beliefS, but little has been done on its significance for understanding collective behavior and destructive social movements. The "cattle-killing madness" that infected the Xhosa people in the middle of the 19th century serves as a case study.
Until the recent work of J. B. Peires, the story seemed a simple if incredible tale of religious frenzy and "primitive" thinking among a benighted tribe, a tale that ends with the beneficent assistance the survivors were given by their white Christian colonizers.
But as Peires has noted, "the primary sources, the evidence on which the historical account is based, are riddled with lies, both deliberate lies and self-delusions." (2)
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_kmske/is_1_11/ai_n29108024/