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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 04/06/2016 02:52 PM, William Flynn
Wallace wrote:<br>
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</span>Studies have shown many times that just presenting
people with facts<br>
will rarely cause them to change previously held beliefs.
It might<br>
even strengthen the wrong belief. It's called the Backfire
effect.<br>
<br>
There are several factors involved. People don't like to
be told that<br>
they are wrong as they 'lose face' and don't want lower
status. When a<br>
belief is wrong, people need help to build a new story in
their brain<br>
to store the new facts.<br>
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<br>
Why do they "need help"? Perhaps it is "good old days" fallacy but
it seems to me that people have more fragile egos now than they used
to. Actually it is not that the egos seem more fragile but there is
more belief that ego fragility is to be coddled instead of telling
the person to embrace the rational approach and get over their mere
feelings enough to admit the new evidence. It used to be more the
norm that bringing up feelings in an intellectual conversation was
frowned upon. <br>
<br>
Is it just me or as the world changed where we want to be real
careful not to upset anyone's pre-existing prejudice?<br>
<br>
Extropians in particular held to pancritical rationalism - question
everything and take no feeling prisoners.<br>
<br>
People may need a "new story" but it is not up to anyone else to
weave one for them. That is their own job. I have had the
experience of trying to do the weaving for another person. Then
they get really upset because they fill like you are "trying to cram
it down their throats" or seeking to reach in and reprogram their
brain. <br>
<br>
You can lead a horse to water..<br>
<br>
<br>
- samantha<br>
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