The Architecture of Explanatory Satisfaction and the Affective Veto Against Stochastic Reality
A paper on why people often prefer emotionally satisfying explanations over probabilistic ones.
Source Paper
This page is a simplified guide to the paper. The source document is linked below; the guide here keeps the main idea accessible and tied back to the site’s model.
Open on Academia.eduLow-Register Abstract
This paper looks at a common human pattern: random or probabilistic explanations often feel unsatisfying, even when they are true. People want causes with purpose, agency, and narrative shape.
The affective veto is the emotional rejection of an explanation because it feels cold, empty, or incomplete. The problem is that emotional dissatisfaction is not the same as evidential weakness.
How It Fits Credencing
This paper is central to Core Irrationality (IC). A person may see that a stochastic explanation is strong and still assign credence to a more comforting story.
It also helps explain why conspiracy thinking, miracle claims, value-loaded narratives, and tribal explanations can feel more complete than the evidence justifies.
How to Read It
Read this when a true explanation feels too accidental or impersonal. Ask whether the discomfort is evidence against the explanation or merely a human dislike of randomness.