The attached article, “There Must Be a Reason”: Osama, Saddam, and Inferred Justification, examines a fascinating phenomenon. It reports research on "social psychological mechanisms [people] use to maintain false beliefs in the face of disconfirming information."

In other words, a person's ability to believe something to be true regardless of any and all facts to the contrary.

While the authors go to some pains to explain that the conclusions reached in the study are believed to be broadly applicable to people of different persuasions regarding any number of concepts, some readers may be put off by the inherently political nature of the specific topic of this study.

For those able to see past that, there are instructive lessons about factors that could stand in the way of the ability of people to learn. Awareness of this phenomenon could be helpful to both the educators and students among us.

In any case, the article is attached here for whatever value it may impart...