It seems that I was wrong about Jim Emerson. He's actually a pretty neat guy. He was responsible for the concept of today's panel, Argument Clinic: Why Discussion Fails, in which Jim Emerson, William Nack, and Tina Packer tried to explain the phenomenon of people whose beliefs cannot be altered by logical argumentation. Scientists who don't believe in global warming, birthers, Fox News "journalists," millennial cultists, and a man who goes by Second Amendment Joe seem to become more entrenched in their ridiculous opinions the more they are confronted with logical opposition. This can be quite upsetting, and if nothing else, the panel made us feel a tad less alone in the belief that a "fair and balanced" interpretation of reality needn't necessarily account for the opinions of crazy people.
No comments:
Post a Comment