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But when a fringe belief has already been categorically, 100%, without the slightest doubt, been proven to be false, but a bunch of people keep claiming it's tr

But when a fringe belief has already been categorically, 100%, without the slightest doubt, been proven to be false, but a bunch of people keep claiming it's true anyway, the best thing to do is just to stop giving them a platform. They are not advancing science. They are not "challenging our orthodoxy". They are not doing anything positive for the world. We may never be able to convince them that they're wrong, but that doesn't mean we need to make it sound like anyone else thinks they might, with even a tiny probability, be right.

nemo44x 1y ago
I guess it depends on the topic. Flat Earthers - yeah I’d agree. Until someone comes up with compelling evidence. But those people have no real power - no ability to set policy based on their belief. Just cranks and harmless. But it’s not fair to cherry pick such an obvious straw man. There’s a million current examples that are much better. Covid origins which were summarily and aggressively rejected as unorthodox for example. A ton of climate science, etc. No one is an authority on truth. Requires consensus over painfully long times.