3 ms·

I'm more wondering about when would one need any rebuttal to start with. Most online comments are probably trolls, and if not, it's not worth your time anyway.

I'm more wondering about when would one need any rebuttal to start with. Most online comments are probably trolls, and if not, it's not worth your time anyway. Is it common to have friends or relatives with such a feeble grasp of reality?

maxxxxx 9y ago
I know somebody who believes in chemtrails, flat earth and a lot of other stuff. There is really no way to argue with her because at the bottom of everything there is a big, powerful conspiracy. I told her once that Alex Jones certainly has enough money to rent a jet to fly into a chemtrail and take some samples or take a ship and go straight and see what happens. But of course there tons of government conspiracies to prevent these things. In the end these people don't really want to know. They just have a deep discomfort with the current state of things.
- Zaak 9y ago
  > In the end these people don't really want to know. They just have a deep discomfort with the current state of things. This is a very succinct description of the mindset of the flat earthers I have talked with.
mikestew 9y ago
More hypothetical than anything, and possibly a template for more likely scenarios. I mean, it would seem that there are some that seriously think the world is flat. Should I ever meet such a person and the topic comes up (and you know it will), I'd be curious as to the outcome of whipping out this rebuttal. I don't care about "winning" the argument, as there's nothing to win, but the response is what I'm after. I'm sure I'll be disappointed.
Zaak 9y ago
No one I know believes flat-earth (fortunately), but for a while I was fascinated by the existence of flat earthers and wanted to understand why they believed they way they do. The outcome was mostly disappointment for me. They don't have anything like a reflectively consistent worldview. They don't in general have positive statements (other than that the earth is flat). Their beliefs are almost entirely negative, and phrased as arrogant dismissal of mainstream belief and evidence.

maxxxxx 9y ago

I know somebody who believes in chemtrails, flat earth and a lot of other stuff. There is really no way to argue with her because at the bottom of everything there is a big, powerful conspiracy. I told her once that Alex Jones certainly has enough money to rent a jet to fly into a chemtrail and take some samples or take a ship and go straight and see what happens. But of course there tons of government conspiracies to prevent these things. In the end these people don't really want to know. They just have a deep discomfort with the current state of things.

Zaak 9y ago
> In the end these people don't really want to know. They just have a deep discomfort with the current state of things. This is a very succinct description of the mindset of the flat earthers I have talked with.

mikestew 9y ago

More hypothetical than anything, and possibly a template for more likely scenarios. I mean, it would seem that there are some that seriously think the world is flat. Should I ever meet such a person and the topic comes up (and you know it will), I'd be curious as to the outcome of whipping out this rebuttal. I don't care about "winning" the argument, as there's nothing to win, but the response is what I'm after. I'm sure I'll be disappointed.

Zaak 9y ago

No one I know believes flat-earth (fortunately), but for a while I was fascinated by the existence of flat earthers and wanted to understand why they believed they way they do. The outcome was mostly disappointment for me. They don't have anything like a reflectively consistent worldview. They don't in general have positive statements (other than that the earth is flat). Their beliefs are almost entirely negative, and phrased as arrogant dismissal of mainstream belief and evidence.