HOW TO TALK TO A SCIENCE DENIER: WHAT I LEARNED AT THE FLAT EARTH CONVENTION

It is sometimes claimed that trying to convince science deniers with facts will only backfire. The latest empirical research, however, shows that this conclusion is mistaken and that there are effective techniques that can be used to keep someone from becoming a science denier or even to help them give up mistaken beliefs already held. The secret lies in recognizing that even empirical beliefs may be held for non-evidential reasons -- such as personal values, trust, ideology, and group identity -- and that science deniers need to learn not just more scientific facts but how scientists reason about evidence. The best way to convince a science denier is not to insult them -- or clobber them with data -- but to engage in calm, respectful, patient conversation that simultaneously builds trust and encourages them to reflect not just on what they believe but the (flawed) reasoning strategy that brought them to believe it. In this talk I will recount my own experience using these techniques, most notably at the Flat Earth International Conference (FEIC) 2018. My goal is to encourage more scientists to believe that everyone -- both scientists and non-scientists alike -- has a role in pushing back against science denial, and that the skills for doing so can be learned by all allies of science.