How to convince a science denier to reconsider their beliefs

[robkelk]

No tl;dr - read it all.

[classicdrogn]

I just make a note that the mental defective is even less worth talking to than the average run of negative-net-value humanity and move on, as a rule. No need to be (as I put it in the other thread) assholes happening to each other.

[robkelk]

Which is a perfectly reasonable reaction when they let you walk away. If they insist on interacting with you, this might help... or it might convince them to walk away.

[Labster]

As a trained climatologist, everyone I’ve met who denies science does not want to be convinced of anything. They could not care less about facts, except for the facts that uphold their world view — like solar variability, they love that one.

There are two types: the ones who deny it because they are paid to, and the ones who deny because they are a member of a social group who denies. The first type will keep believing so long as he enjoys the work, and the latter will always revert her views back to the norm of the social group. Any headway you make will be lost in a month.

Outside of college students, I don’t think any of these techniques in the article are effective on 95+% of denialists. And there, we can offer them membership in the non-denialist social groups. If you truly want to convince someone, don’t talk about science at all. Just befriend them and drag them to a social group that respects science.