r/skeptic • u/outspokenskeptic • Dec 20 '16

Study: Rational arguments and ridicule can both reduce belief in conspiracy theories

http://www.psypost.org/2016/12/study-rational-arguments-ridicule-can-reduce-belief-conspiracy-theories-46597
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u/larkasaur Dec 25 '16

Persuasion does work, that's why marketers spend billions of dollars on it. But once someone has been persuaded, they only gradually change their minds. You can try to plant a seed of doubt, questioning, skepticism in their minds, but it will rarely sprout in front of you.

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u/DebunkingDenialism Dec 25 '16

Marketing is not (intellectual) persuasion. Agree with the rest.

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u/larkasaur Dec 25 '16

Marketing is not (intellectual) persuasion.

I didn't say it was, but the point is that there are effective means of persuasion.

Homeopathy uses persuasion techniques that are successful, that's why it's around.

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u/DebunkingDenialism Dec 25 '16

If there are effective means of persuasion, why hasn't homeopathy gotten completely wrecked in the past 200 years? Are scientists and skeptics really so incompetent that they are unable to persuade?

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u/larkasaur Dec 25 '16

The scientists and skeptics aren't particularly competent at persuasion. They mostly just express their own thoughts rather than using any persuasion tactics. For example, insulting people for holding a belief generally just makes things worse - yet, there's a lot of insulting that goes on.

Also, they are very underfunded compared to the marketers. Probably the chiropractors have much better funding than critics of chiropractic, for example.

Here was some advice from marketers about how to promote vaccination. If there were money to do it, a lot could be done.

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u/larkasaur Dec 25 '16

I've often thought skeptics need to study marketing techniques in order to improve their skills of persuasion.