Leo Tolstoy said:
“The most difficult subjects
can be explained to
the most slow-witted man
if he has not formed
any idea of them already;
but the simplest thing
cannot be made clear
to the most intelligent man
if he is firmly persuaded
that he knows already,
without a shadow of doubt,
what is laid before him.”
Why don't facts
change minds?
Because truth
and accuracy
are not the
only things
that matter
to humans.
Humans have
a deep desire
to belong to
a group.
Humans want to
earn the respect
and approval
of their peers.
Social connections
can be more helpful
to your life than
understanding the truth
of a particular subject.
Sometimes
we believe things
because they
make us look good
to the people
we care about.
Convincing someone
to change their mind
is really a process
of convincing them
to change their "tribe".
Facts often don't
change minds.
But friendship
often does.
Arguments
often occur
between people
on opposite ends
of the political
spectrum, but
more learning
occurs from people
with similar beliefs.
The people most likely
to change our minds
are those we agree with
on most subjects.
Personal arguments are
like an attack on a person,
so they become defensive.
Reading a good book, with
a different belief, is more
passive, and not likely to
make a person defensive.
It is usually
more productive
to promote
climate science
facts and data,
than trying to refute
climate myths.
I know that historical
temperature data are
repeatedly "adjusted"
to show a faster rate
of global warming.
But even after all the
data "adjustments",
the official claim
is only +1.0 degrees C.
of global warming
from 1880 through 2018.
Most climate alarmists
don't even know that !
It is more difficult
to attack climate
junk science fantasies,
which is what I try
to do at this blog.
The climate change
fantasies are based
on falsified theories
from the 1970's,
that have not changed
in the past 40 years.
The falsified theories
are programmed into
climate models,
which then make
consistently wrong
long term climate
predictions.
Most climate alarmists
also don't know that !