this post was submitted on 09 Nov 2023
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I feel like Dawson and, to a lesser degree, Tyson, go looking for high-fives for dunking on the dumbs, which doesn't do well at spreading an appreciation for science to those who need it.
Sagan and Feynman seemed to have a much humbler yet more effective way of helping people realize how amazing science can be if they'd just take some time to think about things and question what they believe they know.
All great minds in any case.
Happy Carl Sagan Day!
I get that. However, I think they know the people that would learn the most aren’t reading the book. The "dunking" feels like venting frustration and that is something vastly more relatable, to me.
You can't logic people out of a belief that they didn't logic into.
What's the logical basis of this tidy aphorism?
Here's a good summary analysis with linked studies.
https://today.uconn.edu/2022/08/cognitive-biases-and-brain-biology-help-explain-why-facts-dont-change-minds-2/#
When someone has grown up brainwashed into religious belief, being exposed to real logic that isn't trying to dunk on them is a lifeline for many to move away from that.
I also think that while both can be necessary at times, for many the far more powerful factor is going to be emotional (feeling of god letting them down leading to questioning), and people who are already in emotional turmoil and questioning beliefs will react much more positively to a more graceful, logical approach, because logic, while it may disrupt their worldview, is reliable. So yeah it depends on the individual, but you absolutely can logic someone out of a belief they didn't logic into.
Source: I'm a homeschooled Baptist PK with 5 siblings, and I've spent a lot of time and effort to know how to best provide the lifeline for my nieces and nephews that I was lacking for getting away from religious belief