Herbie is using rationalization. This defense mechanism consists in justifying or rationalizing the actions that it carries out in a way that censorship is avoided. A logical explanation to the thoughts or behaviors is given in order to reduce or avoid feelings of anxiety, inferiority or even guilt.
I hope my answer can help you.
To rule the vast territory, the Qin instituted a rigid, authoritarian government; they standardized the writing system, standardized the measurements of length and weight and the width of highways, abolished all feudal privileges, oversaw large-scale construction of what then became the first Great Wall.
The answer to the given question mentioned above is "To observe, experiment and self-criticism".
<span>The nominalist distinction between reason ability to understand the natural world and its inability to understand the divine world encouraged people to Observation, Experiment, and Self-criticism.</span>
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/assessment/ss/hs/framework/ghg2/rubric-prototype-crqs.pdf
