There is something deeply puzzling about the idea that we can be ignorant of our own reasons. Whereas Pascal attributed certain reasons to the heart versus the mind, we may attribute such reasons to the emotional versus the cognitive mind or to the unconscious versus the conscious mind, but the central conviction remains the same: we may be moved by reasons without ever consciously thinking of ...

This paper considers the role of reasons and arguments in the making of decisions. It is proposed that, when faced with the need to choose, decision makers often seek and construct reasons in order to resolve the conflict and justify their choice, to themselves and to others. Experiments that explore and manipulate the role of reasons are reviewed, and other decision studies are interpreted fro...

W e are two of the scientist members of the President's Council on Bioethics. In late 2001, we were invited by the President of the United States to serve on this Council. The Bioethics Council was appointed by the President to " monitor stem-cell research, to recommend appropriate guidelines and regulations, and to consider all of the medical and ethical ramifi cations of biomedical innovation...

We consider ourselves to be rational beings. We feel that our choices, decisions, and actions are selected from a flexible array of possibilities, based upon reasons. When we vote for a political candidate, it is because they share our views on certain critical issues. When we hire an individual for a job, it is because they are the best qualified. However, if this is true, why does an analysis...