With the exception of those among us who are clinically insane, humans are rational beings who make rational choices. The choices are quite obviously not necessarily good choices, nor is the rationale behind them necessarily sound. However, any sane human bases a decision on the information available at the time and takes what they perceive as the most appropriate course of action. This holds true for decisions as small as what kind of bread you want at Subway and as big as whether or not to go to war with another nation.

Even the most vile among us have their reasons for doing what they do. Let’s race toward the bottom of the barrel and use a child predator as an example. When held to account for their actions, they may well articulately explain the basis for what they do. They could calmly lay out how they are aroused by certain youngsters, and how they know acting on this desire leads to the execution of a self-interested outcome. From their point of view, they are acting logically. From our point of view, of course, what they’re doing is horrific, vile, and worthy of incarceration.