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Yeah, I think part of the reason that true facts may cause people to double down on their incorrect priors is because the presentation of the true facts is inad
by entrepy123 3y ago
Yeah, I think part of the reason that true facts may cause people to double down on their incorrect priors is because the presentation of the true facts is inadequate. (So it's not just a knee-jerk over-reaction due to emotional attachment, as the situation might seemingly be summarized; instead, IMO it's truly because either the presenter did not fully do their job of information gathering and presentation, or the listener was not able to fully do their job of paying attention with an open mind. This is the table stakes if we're having the discussion, and it's hard to even get there.)
Most people do not have the time, energy, resources, background, or will to prepare adequate presentations of factual material. This is one huge deficit.
Then, when such material is available or presented: most people do not have the time, energy, resources, background, or will to honestly analyze such adequate presentations of factual material. This is a second huge deficit.
So, I think it's "back to basics" before worrying about some psychological mumbo-jumbo. And it turns out, people are really, really ill-equipped for the basics, on a huge scale. (This might sound just plain negative at first, but, on the contrary, I see this as a huge opportunity, since it seems tractable.)
- tivert 3y ago>> Hasn't it been shown that facts don't change people's mind, but (generally) makes them hold tighter to their view? > Yeah, I think part of the reason that true facts may cause people to double down on their incorrect priors is because the presentation of the true facts is inadequate. I think the reason is all about emotions and interpersonal dynamics. It has little to nothing to do about information or its presentation. When someone tries to change someone's mind with "facts," I think they often come off as conceited and disdainful of the person they're trying to correct. There's often very little true empathy for the person or why they may think "incorrectly." It's like the high-and-mighty out-group person trying to put you in your place as an inferior who must follow. But would you actually follow someone like that or resist them?
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