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I enjoyed the Netflix documentary Behind the Curve which highlights several of the big people in this community. A lot of the documentary is a comical subtle tr

I enjoyed the Netflix documentary Behind the Curve which highlights several of the big people in this community. A lot of the documentary is a comical subtle troll, but it sheds light on how the people in this community are alike by being sort of social outcasts. They’re brought together not necessarily by a strong belief that the Earth is flat (though most in the community strongly believe it, or at least pretend to) but because they were bullied as kids, socially awkward, had a hard time making and keeping friends, etc. From this angle I absolutely see how strong a connection these people might have to others in this community and why it would be hard to say “screw you only friends that I’ve ever had, your theories don’t make scientific sense”. They might lose the only friends they ever had. This somewhat reminds me of the current state of politics. Why counter even a single belief, value, etc. that your echochamber has when they’re probably friends of yours and you know it could change your relationship for the worse (even though I think it’s ridiculous that questioning a political opinion with a well thought out, logically crafted counter opinion could ruin a relationship).

brlewis 7y ago
> I think it’s ridiculous that questioning a political opinion with a well thought out, logically crafted counter opinion could ruin a relationship People use a simplified mental model of your beliefs. You're either on one side or the other. Your argument flips you around to the other side. This is a problem. My hope is that this problem can be countered by explicitly labeling points of agreement, and by being very specific about points of disagreement. This is what my project HowTruthful facilitates. This article caught my attention because flat earth was the issue I used in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXvU1h44jVw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXvU1h44jVw the introductory video. About 90 seconds in, I talk about how a presentation format that shows both agreement and disagreement helps preserve friendship.
- was8309 7y ago
  Thank you, HowTruthful looks great, I hope sites like these become very common, not only to help preserve friendships, but to help distilled arguments, and ultimately clarify what we believe
- mrfusion 7y ago
  Wow great project. I think you’re onto something getting everything down to facts. Is the site open for use? I might try it out next time I have a discussion. Are you and the other person both supposed to work on the same page?
brainzap 7y ago
> If a human giant is united by belief in a common story, that story can become synonymous with “Us” to its members. And for a culture with a tribal mindset, that makes the story a sacred object. https://waitbutwhy.com/2019/09/stories.html https://waitbutwhy.com/2019/09/stories.html
mrfusion 7y ago
If you think of politics more like sports it makes sense. No one is going to logically tell you why the patriots are the best team. But you’re certainly not going to change their mind.
- blaser-waffle 7y ago
  I mean, there is all of those championship rings and stuff that the Patriots have. And the stats about passing yards, etc.
  - viklove 7y ago
    That only proves that at one point they were the best team. It proves nothing about how good they are today.

brlewis 7y ago

> I think it’s ridiculous that questioning a political opinion with a well thought out, logically crafted counter opinion could ruin a relationship People use a simplified mental model of your beliefs. You're either on one side or the other. Your argument flips you around to the other side. This is a problem. My hope is that this problem can be countered by explicitly labeling points of agreement, and by being very specific about points of disagreement. This is what my project HowTruthful facilitates. This article caught my attention because flat earth was the issue I used in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXvU1h44jVw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXvU1h44jVw the introductory video. About 90 seconds in, I talk about how a presentation format that shows both agreement and disagreement helps preserve friendship.

was8309 7y ago
Thank you, HowTruthful looks great, I hope sites like these become very common, not only to help preserve friendships, but to help distilled arguments, and ultimately clarify what we believe
mrfusion 7y ago
Wow great project. I think you’re onto something getting everything down to facts. Is the site open for use? I might try it out next time I have a discussion. Are you and the other person both supposed to work on the same page?

brainzap 7y ago

> If a human giant is united by belief in a common story, that story can become synonymous with “Us” to its members. And for a culture with a tribal mindset, that makes the story a sacred object. https://waitbutwhy.com/2019/09/stories.html https://waitbutwhy.com/2019/09/stories.html

mrfusion 7y ago

If you think of politics more like sports it makes sense. No one is going to logically tell you why the patriots are the best team. But you’re certainly not going to change their mind.

blaser-waffle 7y ago
I mean, there is all of those championship rings and stuff that the Patriots have. And the stats about passing yards, etc.
- viklove 7y ago
  That only proves that at one point they were the best team. It proves nothing about how good they are today.