10 Comments

I love logical fallacy. Ignoratio elenchi, which has been immortalised in South Park and become known as the Chebacca Defense, inspired by OJ Simpson. Worth looking for on YouTube. :)

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I did, and it was great. Logical fallacies are fascinating.

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I've worked with John and some of his colleagues in the past and he truly is a rock star in my mind. Over the years, I've used the resources on Skeptical Science regularly as a training resource for employees in my agency: https://skepticalscience.com/

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I was really impressed with John's work and his Skeptical Science resources are great aren't they.

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Oct 19, 2022Liked by Melanie Newfield

Thanks for the great resources. In my experience, it also depends about the denial reasons: Do you deny because you don't find the evidence scientifically rigorous (if you are fed disinformation)? (or) Do you deny because there is a grand conspiracy against you by the academic and business elite for commercial interests?

I believe the former can be more amenable to the approaches you mention, while the latter are nearly hopeless. Neil DeGrasse Tyson said in his recent Masterclass, something like "If I show you the evidence, and you still refuse to believe something because you don't believe its integrity, I have no energy to engage with you and will move on".

So basically, a lost cause. The big question is which type is the majority.....

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One of the things I've learned is that people often get into denying science as part of their identity. And it's really hard to change someone's mind when it would mean changing their identify. The only way to do it is through a genuine connection and relationship, so it's a huge amount of effort. I think that it can be wise to decide to save your energy.

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Oct 20, 2022Liked by Melanie Newfield

I can see that. Like those anti-vaxxers who eventually gave in, because of family members wearing them down. I guess science communicators cannot play this role.

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I think that's true. However, we can help show the way to those friends and family members by responding when we have the energy to do so. I think it's mostly a case of what NdGT says - give them an answer then if they won't accept it then don't get sucked into arguing.

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Great resources! The game is fantastic - gamifying is incredibly engaging. Thanks for finding and sharing these!

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Thank you. I loved the game too.

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