External challenges to justify beliefs can trigger belief transformation
Evidence
Around that time, she was interviewed by journalist Nicole Heißmann for a book on homeopathy. When the book was finally published under the title “The Homeopathy Lie,” she was disappointed and wrote a negative review on Amazon. In the ensuing comment battle, she found herself confronted for the first time with the demand to prove that her perceived treatment successes were indeed a result of her homeopathic therapy. “I never asked myself these questions before, and it was really such an aha moment, but not a pleasant one.” That’s how she got the idea to write her own book: “I felt like if there is this homeopathy lie, then someone has to write the homeopathy truth.” As, during the research for her own book, her doubts about beliefs long deemed certain grew, she sought clarity by contacting prominent homeopathy critics directly. To her amazement, those approached proved not only eager to provide information, but were also helpful and understanding. The book became a turning point in Natalie Grams’ life, leading her to the forefront of a new movement of homeopathy critics, to the closure of her practice, and thus economically to a highly uncertain future. Discussions with skeptics on changing communication channels were thus not only the impetus for her transformation process that would last years, but played a central role over its entire period. — Holm Gero Hümmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 198
Categorization
- QUESTION: What made Grams uniquely responsive to the demand for evidence where most believers are not?
- XREF: connects to: Transformation happens by assuming shared categories rather than questioning them. — Farhan Samanani, Conviviality and its others: for a…, 47; Fighting post-truth requires doubting one’s own favored beliefs first — Lee McIntyre, Post-Truth, 330; Cognitive dissonance strengthens rather than weakens false beliefs under contrary evidence — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 1798