Evidence shows that shoving data in peoples’ faces doesn’t work to change minds.

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.

  • snooggums
    34•1 year ago

    Instead, I try to practice what’s known as radical empathy. This is empathy given to another person without any expectation of receiving it back in return. I try to see the world through someone else’s eyes and use that to find common ground.

    That’s just empathy. How is basic empathy radical?

      • snooggums
        13•1 year ago

        I have no idea where the author got that idea. No common definition involves anything like reciprocity and I can’t think of a single example where that would be a requirement for someone to be empathic.

    • Séän
      15•1 year ago

      It feels like basic empathy is so uncommon in some spheres nowadays that it might be “radical”

    • sik0fewl
      7•1 year ago

      It’s radical because fewer and fewer people are empathetic these days.

    • @charlytune@mander.xyz
      1•1 year ago

      I don’t know the origins of that term, but maybe ‘unconditional empathy’ would be a better way of thinking about it? Like, I will empathise with you even if you aren’t prepared to do the same, - and won’t be withdrawn if you don’t treat me with empathy.