Offering alternative explanations converts believers more than refuting claims
Evidence
Closely related to the question of how confrontational one enters a discussion is whether one argues more actively or more reactively. Hayley Stevens cites an online discussion with a skeptical participant on a portal about ghost sightings as an important contribution to her transformation process. Her counterpart did not attempt to provide evidence that ghosts do not exist or even to convince her that the ghost image she presented as evidence showed something entirely harmless. Instead, accompanied by a brief explanation, he proposed the pareidolia described in Sect. 2.â2 as a conceivable alternative explanation. The careful argumentation allowed her not to feel attacked by the critical interjection, and at the same time, it aroused her curiosity. As a result, she began to recognize more and more supposed ghost photos as pareidolia. â Holm Gero HĂŒmmler, Ulrike Schiesser, Fact and Prejudice, 230
Categorization
- XREF: Echoes the âplanting the seed of doubtâ and empathy-first approaches in communication literature, and connects to the bookâs Sect. 2.2 on pareidolia. â connects to: IRS debunking paradoxically reinforces redemption theoryâs appeal to believers â Anna Merlan, Republic of Lies, 607; Corrections work best when paired with a credible alternative explanation â Sander van der Linden, Foolproof: Why Misinformation InfectsâŠ, 280
- SEED: Potential angle: the effective skeptic as offering better causal explanations rather than attacking weak ones â a reframe of science communication strategy.