Re:How I talk to the victims of conspiracy theories
by blix on Monday November 02, 2020 @11:07AM
(#24969578)
Ultimately, almost all arguments against conspiracy theories boil down to appeals to authority. Only a few people have personal evidence of the moon landing, the rest are relying on authority.
The main issue with convincing people who believe in conspiracy to return to orthodoxy is that there aren't many tools beyond appeal to authority. If your only tactics are appeal to authority and bullying you are not going to win many hearts and minds.
Re:How I talk to the victims of conspiracy theories
by paulryanrogers on Monday November 02, 2020 @12:39PM
(#24970748)
The threshold for self experimentation is raising though. One can buy a plane ticket or launch a rocket with a camera to see that the earth is not flat. Telescopes that can see evidence of humans reaching the moon are more attainable.
My guess is that's why more widely believed theories are increasingly elaborate or are those that require more effort to disprove.
Religions too seem to be evolving to increasingly abstract beliefs or face ever more mental gymnastics to justify. (Part of the reason I'm no longer a believer.)
I mean (bear with me), you say the coronavirus is real because scientists say so? Which scientists? You're using weasel words and you're appealing to authority.