Infinity Journal

IJ Article

Using Applied Decision Analysis to research the rationality of Bin Laden when ordering the 9/11 attacks

The 9/11 attacks and their unprecedented nature pose an important question as to the motivation and the rationality of Osama Bin Laden's decision making process that led to them. Using Applied Decision Analysis, this paper shows that the process of decision making that Bin Laden took in planning the 9/11 attacks was rational, however not in the traditional way. He did not take the alternative that offered the rationally best utility, the maximizing one – but one that in the view of his beliefs and emotions, seemed like the best one for him, meaning that his rationality was bounded.

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