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This paper attempts a reconstruction of part of the history of the philosophical discussion that has focused, within the English-speaking world, on the issue of self-deception, a topic that has underwent a noticeable revival among epistemologists in the last two decades. More precisely, this contribution bears on the issue as to why self-deception spontaneously appears to be blameworthy, something one ought not do, and whether such a value judgement is always well-founded, both epistemologically and morally. This questioning results in a conceptual and normative investigation, which pays attention to beliefs in general, and irrational beliefs in particular, as they are essentially related to reasons and justifications.