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> it could also be incredibly insulting and patronizing to just assume that people with beliefs different than ours are in need of mental help I agree with thi

> it could also be incredibly insulting and patronizing to just assume that people with beliefs different than ours are in need of mental help I agree with this in principle, but at what point do we have no other choice? Witches? Lizard people? Alien abductions?

dahart 8y ago
> I agree with this in principle, but at what point do we have no other choice? Witches? Lizard people? Alien abductions? I guess what I’m suggesting is that “listening” to crazy theories because you feel sorry for people under the assumption that they’re unstable or have trauma in their past is much worse than either 1) ignoring them, or 2) engaging in their debate on their terms (i.e. taking them seriously). If it looks crazy, then just ignore it, but don’t assume it’s because the person is crazy or has mental problems. They might, just don’t assume. The other half of my point is that literally everyone has crazy theories that aren’t supported by evidence. Religion covers half the world, but even scientists have bizarre beliefs, and all humans are subject to cognitive mistakes, and we are physiologically wired to hang on to our beliefs even when they’re wrong. I personally know a bunch of people with PhDs who stick to ideas that are wrong, like my doctor friend who doesn’t “believe” in counting calories for weight loss. I’m sure I have one or two myself, and I don’t know what they are. We need to recognize that you and I and all of us also have wacky beliefs and we wouldn’t want to be labeled as mental. Assuming that something is wrong with someone because of their beliefs is a deliberate form of “othering”. *edit: One way I like to think about this is like so: Make a list of all the thing you know that you’ve actually verified yourself. We know the earth is round, but have you actually proven it to yourself? I haven’t. I “know” that space exists because of other people’s stories, I’ve never been there myself. Pretty much everything I “know” about computers and politics and religion and psychology, and everything else, is things I’ve heard or read that other people verified, not me. The list of things I know 100% for a fact because I proved it myself is a very short list.

dahart 8y ago

> I agree with this in principle, but at what point do we have no other choice? Witches? Lizard people? Alien abductions? I guess what I’m suggesting is that “listening” to crazy theories because you feel sorry for people under the assumption that they’re unstable or have trauma in their past is much worse than either 1) ignoring them, or 2) engaging in their debate on their terms (i.e. taking them seriously). If it looks crazy, then just ignore it, but don’t assume it’s because the person is crazy or has mental problems. They might, just don’t assume. The other half of my point is that literally everyone has crazy theories that aren’t supported by evidence. Religion covers half the world, but even scientists have bizarre beliefs, and all humans are subject to cognitive mistakes, and we are physiologically wired to hang on to our beliefs even when they’re wrong. I personally know a bunch of people with PhDs who stick to ideas that are wrong, like my doctor friend who doesn’t “believe” in counting calories for weight loss. I’m sure I have one or two myself, and I don’t know what they are. We need to recognize that you and I and all of us also have wacky beliefs and we wouldn’t want to be labeled as mental. Assuming that something is wrong with someone because of their beliefs is a deliberate form of “othering”. *edit: One way I like to think about this is like so: Make a list of all the thing you know that you’ve actually verified yourself. We know the earth is round, but have you actually proven it to yourself? I haven’t. I “know” that space exists because of other people’s stories, I’ve never been there myself. Pretty much everything I “know” about computers and politics and religion and psychology, and everything else, is things I’ve heard or read that other people verified, not me. The list of things I know 100% for a fact because I proved it myself is a very short list.