How to talk to an ignorant person

Craig234 said:

So to make up an example, you tell someone 'I hope you're vaccinated against Covid', and they say 'the vaccine doesn't work, it's killing millions of people'.

How do you respond to that sort of thing?

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Craig234 said:

We're all ignorant about a lot of things. Some people recognize that.

But sometimes, we encounter people who are ignorant, and don't realize it. More often, they're 'partially informed'.

So to make up an example, you tell someone 'I hope you're vaccinated against Covid', and they say 'the vaccine doesn't work, it's killing millions of people'.

How do you respond to that sort of thing?

It might sound obvious, but two words, "you're ignorant", to begin a perfectly accurate correction tend not to have the desired effect.

One option is to decide not to talk to the person. Some argue that's best. Another is to try to politely provide corrected information. Sometimes that works, but how often? Another is to ask them for evidence they can't provide. What suggestions are there for talking to someone in that situation, where they are ignorant and that's the roadblock to any sensible discussion on something? The situation seems to to happen on rare occasion...

Click to expand...

Craig234 said:

We're all ignorant about a lot of things. Some people recognize that.

But sometimes, we encounter people who are ignorant, and don't realize it. More often, they're 'partially informed'.

So to make up an example, you tell someone 'I hope you're vaccinated against Covid', and they say 'the vaccine doesn't work, it's killing millions of people'.

How do you respond to that sort of thing?

It might sound obvious, but two words, "you're ignorant", to begin a perfectly accurate correction tend not to have the desired effect.

One option is to decide not to talk to the person. Some argue that's best. Another is to try to politely provide corrected information. Sometimes that works, but how often? Another is to ask them for evidence they can't provide. What suggestions are there for talking to someone in that situation, where they are ignorant and that's the roadblock to any sensible discussion on something? The situation seems to to happen on rare occasion...

Click to expand...

Craig234 said:

We're all ignorant about a lot of things. Some people recognize that.

But sometimes, we encounter people who are ignorant, and don't realize it. More often, they're 'partially informed'.

So to make up an example, you tell someone 'I hope you're vaccinated against Covid', and they say 'the vaccine doesn't work, it's killing millions of people'.

How do you respond to that sort of thing?

It might sound obvious, but two words, "you're ignorant", to begin a perfectly accurate correction tend not to have the desired effect.

One option is to decide not to talk to the person. Some argue that's best. Another is to try to politely provide corrected information. Sometimes that works, but how often? Another is to ask them for evidence they can't provide. What suggestions are there for talking to someone in that situation, where they are ignorant and that's the roadblock to any sensible discussion on something? The situation seems to to happen on rare occasion...

Click to expand...

Craig234 said:

We're all ignorant about a lot of things. Some people recognize that.

But sometimes, we encounter people who are ignorant, and don't realize it. More often, they're 'partially informed'.

So to make up an example, you tell someone 'I hope you're vaccinated against Covid', and they say 'the vaccine doesn't work, it's killing millions of people'.

How do you respond to that sort of thing?

Click to expand...

Craig234 said:

It might sound obvious, but two words, "you're ignorant", to begin a perfectly accurate correction tend not to have the desired effect.

One option is to decide not to talk to the person. Some argue that's best. Another is to try to politely provide corrected information. Sometimes that works, but how often? Another is to ask them for evidence they can't provide. What suggestions are there for talking to someone in that situation, where they are ignorant and that's the roadblock to any sensible discussion on something? The situation seems to to happen on rare occasion...

Click to expand...

The Old Soul said:

We need to define the type of ignorance to know how to deal that particular person or group. Ignorance that can be overcome by using one's reason (vincible ignorance), and ignorance that cannot be overcome by using one's reason (invincible ignorance).

Click to expand...

Craig234 said:

We're all ignorant about a lot of things. Some people recognize that.

But sometimes, we encounter people who are ignorant, and don't realize it. More often, they're 'partially informed'.

So to make up an example, you tell someone 'I hope you're vaccinated against Covid', and they say 'the vaccine doesn't work, it's killing millions of people'.

How do you respond to that sort of thing?

It might sound obvious, but two words, "you're ignorant", to begin a perfectly accurate correction tend not to have the desired effect.

One option is to decide not to talk to the person. Some argue that's best. Another is to try to politely provide corrected information. Sometimes that works, but how often? Another is to ask them for evidence they can't provide. What suggestions are there for talking to someone in that situation, where they are ignorant and that's the roadblock to any sensible discussion on something? The situation seems to to happen on rare occasion...

Click to expand...