![]() He told me I was the first scientist he’d ever talked to about his ideas. Although Sean made a not-at-all-convincing argument for the Flat Earth theory, he did unintentionally make a convincing argument for Flat Earthers themselves. I liked Sean though, so mostly out of genuine curiosity I asked:įrom there, the conversation spiraled down a rabbit hole of fisheye lenses, lying NASA scientists, and unilateral references to the Flat Earth Society Facebook group. I was supposed to be at a friend’s party in fifteen minutes. S: Really? I dunno… I think there’s something to it… S: Oh yeah? What do you think about this Flat Earth thing? Me: Yeah, I work nearby, it’s not a problem. S: You can come pick up your bike any time tomorrow, is that cool? That conversation started approximately something like this: It wasn’t until a random bout of small talk with my old bike repair guy Sean that my nihilistic view of anti-science extremism changed dramatically. Then, once you realized it, you probably went through an extended phase where you refused to engage with extremists under the assumption that you wouldn’t be able to change their minds anyway. Nevertheless, if you’re like me, it probably still took you an embarrassingly long time to realize you were actually being counter-productive. Regardless of the reason, these discussions rarely play out like they do in your head. It leaves you believing that the person you were talking to was acting irrationally, while leaving them thinking of you as a condescending jerk. ![]() ![]() The simple discussion you were hoping to have quickly becomes something much larger, and much more unpleasant. Though again, if you’re like me, you’ve probably figured out that the average anti-vaccination advocate doesn’t respond to statistics and peer-reviewed jargon quite the way your co-workers would. ![]() Suddenly it’s your personal mission to dispel these treacherous beliefs. Or your cousin who doesn't believe in teaching evolution, casting his vote at the polls. I'm talking about your pregnant neighbour who doesn’t want to vaccinate her kid. If you’re like me, you probably feel a compulsive need to educate people who have dangerous anti-science views. ![]()
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