3 ms·

And the discussion of too many unsubstantiated rumors gets us to the place where a very significant portion of the population are basically full blown conspirac

And the discussion of too many unsubstantiated rumors gets us to the place where a very significant portion of the population are basically full blown conspiracy theorists. Then we find ourselves in a place where facts and science are transformed into beliefs. I don't think discussing rumors is inherently bad in moderation, but I guess moderation is a tough problem for us in many parts of society today.

ColanR 6y ago
Well, I'm not saying we should jump to the other extreme - though, suppression or denial of rumors doesn't really help them go away. Streisand effect, etc. Rather, I'm just reacting to the parent's claim that we shouldn't discuss anything that doesn't already have substantiative evidence behind it - if we applied that principle more generally, physics would come to a standstill.