cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/10673163
Evidence shows that shoving data in peoples’ faces doesn’t work to change minds.
As a scientist heavily engaged in science communication, I’ve seen it all.
People have come to my public talks to argue with me that the Big Bang never happened. People have sent me handwritten letters explaining how dark matter means that ghosts are real. People have asked me for my scientific opinion about homeopathy—and scoffed when they didn’t like my answer. People have told me, to my face, that what they just learned on a TV show proves that aliens built the pyramids and that I didn’t understand the science.
People have left comments on my YouTube videos saying… well, let’s not even go there.
I encounter pseudoscience everywhere I go. And I have to admit, it can be frustrating. But in all my years of working with the public, I’ve found a potential strategy. And that strategy doesn’t involve confronting pseudoscience head-on but rather empathizing with why people have pseudoscientific beliefs and finding ways to get them to understand and appreciate the scientific method.
I just call these people idiots, and let it be well known why they are morons. Usually they don’t like talking to me after a while, and I’m fine with that. Anti intellectualism is pathetic, and these movements are downright dangerous for everyone. I doubt I’m the only person who has lost patience.
My problem with these people is just how vocal they always are. When i talk to people, they don’t know if i’m religious or not, if i believe in a flat earth, if i think parrots are trained gouverment drones or if vaccines contain 5g chips or anything at all really. But if you talk with some of these dense fuckers, they always seem to start with: everyone is dumb but me because they get microchipped by the government. Or they have stickers on their cars about how dumb they are.