Fact and Prejudice: How to Communicate with Esoterics, Fanatics and Conspiracy Believers

This book provides tips on how to respond to conspiracy myths, superstition, esotericism, pseudoscience, and Co. while remaining factual and encouraging rethinking. It discusses why we are driven by emotions and how information bounces off us, and follows different people through their own rethinking processes. The authors give concrete tips on discussions and situations and help to decide when it is important to engage and when it is better to withdraw.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 232 pages
Publication date: 14 October 2022
Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin and Heidelberg GmbH & Co. KG

When enjoying a coffee with your family, you are presented with an offer of energized water. On Twitter, you engage in discussions with individuals who oppose vaccination. The WhatsApp group chat revolves around zodiac signs, the pharmacy provides you with globules, your neighbor proselytizes for her guru, and the news continues to report on demonstrations by right-wing extremists.

Everywhere you turn, you encounter conspiracy myths, superstition, esotericism, pseudoscience, and more. You desire to respond to these beliefs while maintaining as much factual accuracy as possible, clarify your position, provide facts, and avoid unnecessarily provoking or overwhelming your counterpart. Furthermore, you aim to foster a thoughtful reevaluation rather than causing harm or offense. However, how can you achieve this?

If you find yourself contemplating this question, consider delving into "Fact and Prejudice." This book explores why we are often influenced by emotions and how most information tends to bounce off us. It offers insights through experiences and tips from interviews with professional (science) communicators. Furthermore, it follows individuals as they undergo their own rethinking processes: What persuades an alternative medicine practitioner to abandon non-evidence-based medicine? What was the deciding factor for a former vaccination opponent to have her children vaccinated after all? What aids members of appropriative organizations in leaving? What prompts a celebrated medium to break away from esotericism?

This book is designed for anyone who is concerned about or unsure of how to communicate with individuals who hold irrational worldviews, whether it be within your family, among friends, anonymously on the internet, or in your professional environment. The authors provide practical tips and guidance on discussions and situations, assisting you in determining when it is essential to engage and when it is better to step back.

Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783662660317
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023