How do you deal with people who deny facts of a subject that you are well learne

1. 61

   violetheavenposted 11 years ago

   How do you deal with people who deny facts of a subject that you are well learned?
   
   The facts being directly contradictory to  their reasoning for what they call proof.  Even after explaining bit by bit?

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2. 59

   xanzacowposted 11 years ago

   Forget it and move on. They are apparently not ready to accept your point of view or are just "set in their ways" and closed-minded to your proof.

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3. 72

   grumpiornotposted 11 years ago

   There is little point arguing with those who are not prepared to accept the views of others, particularly, when they are less expert on the subject than you are.
   Don't let them bother you and rather save your knowledge for those who are interested.

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4. 66

   ThompsonPenposted 11 years ago

   I have an extremely hard time with that actually.
   I am a nutritional consultant, and I am also a vegetarian. I urge people to eat less of certain kinds of meat not because I personally don't eat meat, but because I know the effect of too much of whatever on the body. I constantly get thrown in my face that I am a vegetarian, therefore I am just trying to conform every one to my food beliefs. This drives me nuts.
   I am also an herbalist. I had another person tell me that I was going to be responsible for millions of peoples' deaths because I believe in a natural rout to healing than a conventional one. They told me that medicine has only been around for the last 100 years, and there was nothing before that, and denied any argument I had about how asprin comes from white willow bark, the reminder that morphine comes from the poppy, and so on.
   I just take a deep breath, and try and let it go, and remember that it is not up to me to change the mind or force information into those who are not willing to hear it. They need to be open in themselves to learn what they want to learn or what they need to learn.
   But it still drives me crazy!!

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5. 81

   Attikosposted 11 years ago

   My favorite is to respond, "I didn't know that," and move on to the next conversation. Don't let it get under your skin. Life is too short to waste any of it on morons.

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      lone77starposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Wonderful! Ego is an uncomfortable fan to walk into.

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6. 46

   Ericdierkerposted 11 years ago

   I am cursed with a graduate degree and working for over 40 years. I have a degree in Philosophy, dealing with logic, and a Doctorate in Law applying logic and evidence. I run into little buzz saws that think their intelligence makes logic and evidence self evident to them. Hey, I am well educated but cannot play the piano, I am very smart but have problems with the verbal communication in a couple languages. Too bad because they find a point of ignorance and hold closely to it. Obviously I am well trained in Theology, being a lay pasture, but some folks think quoting the bible is a suitable replacement for study.
   What I really know is that I learn the most when I accept my ignorance.

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      stclairjackposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      with that kind of artillery in your head you must find yourself frustrated with others a great deal of the time!.... i say this as a compliment.

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7. 0

   huckelburyposted 11 years ago

   Ignore them and go on about your business. A closed mind tends to remain closed, irrespective of the evidence presented. You're wasting your time, unless, of course, you are a teacher and have a responsibility to try to reach the uninformed or merely biased.

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   1. 46

      Ericdierkerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for nothing huckelbury, I am a teacher. Thanks for the sentence to eternal frustration.  LoL
      Oh well comes with the territory.

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      huckelburyposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      My wife teaches as well. You both have my utmost sympathy!

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8. 72

   lone77starposted 11 years ago

   First of all, I try to remain open to learn from all possible sources.
   
   Sometimes, even the dumbest statement or most uncritical thinking will lead to a revelation.
   
   Ego gets in the way for a lot of people. They cling to ideas that become them. If you attack the idea, you attack the person. That should never be the case. So, putting your data out there can be a waste of time, unless it's a public forum where other people will see the response.
   
   Even on something as important as 9/11, where current and future decisions are being made based upon that lie, and people continue to die because of it, it's usually best to leave the person who doesn't get it. Leave them behind and contact as many people who are open to looking and discovering. I believed the Bush conspiracy theories for 10 years, simply because I didn't take the time to look for alternative viewpoints. Then I read some science articles that blew my mind and showed without a doubt that 9/11 was an inside job. Even the debunker videos I've seen debunk nothing, but at best only offer reasonable alternatives.
   
   Overcoming normalcy bias is tough. People have their comfort zone and feel threatened when you point out the crimes of the government they've trusted all their lives. One approach I've heard about is simply to ask good questions and to get the person to look. But even that doesn't work when they have preconceived notions about what is possible. Like one individual didn't believe secrets could be kept. As if the CIA and NSA are made of Swiss cheese, leaving holes for all to see what they're doing. I think not. And some secrets may remain that way forever, so we will never have any "proof" of them.

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   stclairjackposted 11 years ago

   you may posses facts,.. and you may present facts,... but you cannot make the horse drink as they say. dont twist your knickers up over it,... smile and back away.

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10. 93

    mikejhcaposted 11 years ago

    Dealing with people that deny facts of a subject that I know a lot about can be frustrating.  I learned that I can not change a person's beliefs and behaviors if they don't want to change.  Now I limit the time and energy I spend trying to change people.  Someone I know has a sleeping problem.  I told him how he could improve his sleep but he ignored me.  He is set in his ways so I don't waist my time on him anymore.
    
    If someone denies facts I try to convince them to see the truth then I let them believe what they want to believe.

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11. 90

    Sharkye11posted 11 years ago

    I try to remember an incident when I was in my teens and thought I knew everything about something. The person I was arguing asked "How do YOU know?" and I said "Because I read it." He asked, "How do you know that the person who wrote it knew? A century ago people "knew" all manner of things to be true that aren't considered true now."
    
    Basically, it came down to the fact that very few things in life can be proven...the rest is opinion and what we want to believe is true. And no amount of arguing will change a person's opinion. Just like their facts don't seem right to us, ours won't to them. Its best to just move on.

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    1. 81

       Attikosposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Facts aren't opinion, they're generally accepted statements about the real world. You don't argue them, you look them up. Valid formal argument, primarily propositional logic, lead from them to valid conclusion. That constitutes proof.

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